For five days, May 2-6, 2017, the entire campus opens to the public as an exhibition center and celebration of art and design. Opening reception: Tuesday May 2, 4-7 p.m. The Excellence and Masters Thesis exhibitions are on view through May 18. All exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.
Dates to remember:
Exhibition Week: May 2-6
Exhibition Week, opening reception: Tuesday May 2, 4-7p
Summer is right around the corner. That means plenty of locally-grown produce options will be available. But why is choosing local produce good for you?
It’s fresh. Most wholesale produce is picked up to a week before it reaches a supermarket and travels an average of 1500 miles! Veggies and fruits grown by local farmers don’t spend days in transport. This means they can be harvested at peak maturity when they are the most nutritious and tasty.
It supports local farmers. The money you spend on local products stays in the community and boosts the local economy. It’s a win-win for you and the farmers.
It can cost less. When you purchase produce that is grown locally and in-season, you aren’t paying for the transportation costs of getting food from across the country.
What about families who have a limited grocery budget? Many local farmers markets participate in food assistance programs. Programs like Double Up Food Bucks, Senior Project FRESH and WIC Project FRESH can make buying local an affordable option for those that qualify.
ACSET Community Action Agency (CAA) also provides food assistance for qualifying families. When in-season, locally grown produce is combined with the pantry staples offered by CAA, low-income families in Kent County can put healthy meals on the table.
Your Community in Action! is provided by ASCET Community Action Agency. To learn more about how they help meet emergency needs and assist with areas of self-sufficiency, visit www.communityactionkent.org
On Saturday, April 29, the City of Wyoming will host the last of its three public information sessions on its request to open the city’s library maintenance fund for park improvements.
The meeting is at 10 a.m. at the KDL Wyoming Branch located at 3350 Michael Ave. SW. The discussion will center on the May 2 ballot proposal where voters are being asked to allow the city to utilize .16 of its .39 library maintenance millage to put toward some of the $23 million in park needs. The nearly $800,000 per year raised would be use to pay a 15-year bond of $4.4 million. The bond money would be dedicated for park improvements at Ideal, Jackson, Ferrand, and Gezon.
According to Wyoming’s Director of Community Services Rebecca Rynbrandt, the mill levy for the average Wyoming homeowner would be less than $12 a year.
The library maintenance millage is only to maintain the actually facility, Rynbrandt said, adding that what many people do not realize is that the library building is owned by the City of Wyoming. Kent District Library operates the library services and owns the collection. Operations of the library and the collection are funded through a Kent District Library millage, which is a 1.28 mill levy, which covers all 18 branches within the KDL system.
The Kent District Library and the Kent District Library Board are neutral on the subject of Wyoming’s request to transfer some of its library maintenance millage for park improvements, however; KDL Director Lance M. Werner said he and Wyoming Branch Manager Lori Holland have had multiple talks with the city about the proposal and impact to the library.
“We have been repeatedly assured by the City that the Branch will be held harmless and will be supported at the same level it currently is in the future,” Werner said.
The city recently completed more than $650,000 in renovations to the library facility that includes a new roof and the revamping of the former cafe to a public space. Upon review, city staff determined that there would be no major renovation projects needed for the library facility within the next 10 years, Rynbrandt said.
Every five years, the City of Wyoming meets with residents and city staff to review needs at its parks. Through that process, the city has recognized more than $23 million in park improvements. In 1994, Wyoming residents did grant a park millage which for the past 20 years the city has been able to invest and maintain the parks without an increase, Rynbrandt said.
However, within four years the city has had several natural disasters — a 2013 flood, and 2014 and 2016 tornados — which has created a greater need, Rynbrandt said. Highlighting some of those needs is Ideal Park, one of the four parks that would receive funding through the millage proposal. Ideal Park was severally impacted from the 2014 tornado with its playground equipment destroyed. The city was able to remove much of the debris and get the park reopened only to have the 2016 tornado cause more damage.
Jackson Park also was impacted by the tornados but also has a need for better stormwater control along with improved security and safety. Ferrand Park is a small pocket park that has not have any major improvements in a number of years and Gezon Park is surrounded by intense residential growth with the central area of the park needing to be developed.
For more information about the proposal or any the parks, visit WYParks.com.
Attention artists! It’s that time of year again, so get ready to enter your best work on May 4th or 5th
The Festival Regional Arts Competition and Exhibition has a new home for festival 2017 — going back to the old federal building, now the Woodbridge N. Ferris Building of Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University (KCAD). KCAD has agreed to host the Exhibition and also is sponsoring the Juror Awards again this year. (A festival stage will be on Pearl between the KCAD buildings so the college will be fully included in the footprint of festival 2017.)
The dates for the Exhibition will be June 1, 2017, through July 15, 2017. The opening Reception will be on Wednesday, May 31, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm.
While this year’s Exhibition will be in the Fed Galleries @ KCAD, the timeline has dictated that entries areaccepted at a different location — the former Water Department Office Building at 1101 Monroe North (just south of Leonard) to take in, and jury art entries. Those selected will be transferred to the Fed Galleries by Festival. Non-selected works will be picked up at 1101 Monroe North.
Drop-off dates and times at 1101 Monroe North:
Thursday, May 4, noon to 6:00 pm
Friday, May 5, 3:00 to 7:00 pm
Saturday, May 6, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Pick-up of non-selected works at 1101 Monroe North:
Friday, May 12, 3:00 to 7:00 pm
Saturday, May 13, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
There are three jurors: Diane Zeeuw will be the juror for Painting and drawing. Tim Priest will be the juror for Photography. Lindsay Isenhart will be the Juror for 3-Dimensional and Multi Media works. Here is the link to their bios.
Following the close of the Regional Exhibition at KCAD, selected Award-winning pieces will be moved to the Grand Rapids Art Museum for display in the East Gallery from July 18 through August 27.
The online registration application and all of the entry information including sizes, entry fees, rules, and juror bios are available here.
Kent County names Interim Administrator to start July 1
By Lisa LaPlante, Kent County
The Kent County Board of Commissioners has announced that Assistant County Administrator Wayman Britt will take over as Interim County Administrator/Controller on July 1, 2017. Britt has been with Kent County since 2004, serving as management oversight for the Kent County Health Department, the Community Development and Housing Department, and the Veterans Services Department.
In addition, he is the liaison for the State Department of Health and Human Services, and is responsible for several community initiatives such as the Kent County Family and Children’s Coordinating Council.
Prior to beginning his career with the County in 2004, Britt held several management positions at Steelcase, Inc. and Michigan National Bank – Central. Britt holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Michigan.
Britt has served on numerous boards and councils, including the Gerald R. Ford Council Boy Scouts of America, Grand Rapids Community Foundation Board of Trustees, Treasurer of the Grand Rapids Downtown Market Board of Directors, the West Michigan Sports Commission, Grand Rapids Job Corps Community Relations Council, and Kent County American Red Cross Executive Board.
Current Kent County Administrator/Controller Daryl Delabbio retires on June 30, 2017, wrapping up a career spanning four decades in municipal management.
Peters, Gardner introduce bill to keep government research data publicly available
By Allison Green
U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) today introduced bipartisan legislation to help federal agencies maintain open access to machine-readable databases and datasets created by taxpayer-funded research. The Preserving Data in Government Act would require federal agencies to preserve public access to existing open datasets, and prevent the removal of existing datasets without sufficient public notice. Small businesses rely on a range of publicly available machine-readable datasets to launch or grow their companies, and researchers and scientists use data to conduct studies for a variety of fields and industries.
“Research data that has been collected using taxpayer dollars should be publicly accessible and easily searchable,” said Senator Peters. “Small businesses and individuals rely on federally produced information for everything from long-term planning to innovative product development to help grow their companies and create jobs.”
Stabenow introduces bipartisan Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention, and Reform Act to protect Michigan Seniors’ access to ambulance services
By Miranda Margowsky
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) has introduced the Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention, and Reform Act, which would make permanent key Medicare reimbursements to ambulance service providers and would ensure seniors and other people in Michigan continue to have access to life-saving services.
Ambulance service providers are an essential part of our local and national health care and emergency response systems, and are often the only provider of emergency medical services for their communities. There more than 200 ambulance service providers in Michigan, including small businesses, fire departments, hospitals, cities, and counties, that rely on Medicare reimbursements to provide emergency care and support jobs in local communities.
Senator Stabenow’s bill makes permanent the 2% urban and 3% rural reimbursement as well as a 25.6% reimbursement for areas that are classified as “super-rural,” meaning they represent the lowest measure of population density. If the Medicare reimbursements are not extended before they expire at the end of 2017, Michigan ambulance providers could lose up to $4 million per year.
Stabenow joins group of 19 senators calling on Republican leaders to focus on funding for opioid crisis and medical research
By Miranda Margowsky
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) has joined a group of 19 senators calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to include a substantial increase in funds for the fight against the nation’s opioid epidemic and additional investments in the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as part of the Continuing Resolution currently being negotiated in Congress to avert a government shutdown. Last year in Michigan, research funding for the NIH supported 10,817 jobs and $1.7 billion in economic activity.
The senators asked for additional resources to address the nation’s opioid crisis, particularly those communities which have been hit hardest by the epidemic, noting that only ten percent of people with substance abuse disorder receive specialty treatment due in large part to lack of funding for services. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Michigan had the 7th most drug overdose deaths of any state in 2015, a 13 percent increase from the year before.
Senator Stabenow’s statement following Great Lakes Task Force meeting on Asian carp
By Miranda Margowsky
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Co-Chair of the bipartisan Senate Great Lakes Task Force, has released the following statement after a bicameral meeting on near- and long-term measures to prevent Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes, including the status on the Tentatively Selected Plan for the Brandon Road Study:
“It’s deeply irresponsible for the Trump Administration to continue to block the Army Corp from releasing a critical plan to permanently address the threat of Asian carp to our Great Lakes. There is no reason to gamble with the future of our Great Lakes because a narrow group of special interests do not recognize that Asian carp is a problem. In our bipartisan, bicameral meeting today, we sent a clear message that it’s past time to take action to create a permanent solution to the threat of Asian carp.”
Senator Stabenow led the Great Lakes Task Force meeting, which was attended by officials from the White House, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Geological Service. In February, the Trump Administration prevented the Army Corps from releasing the draft plan for stopping further movement of Asian carp in the Illinois River.
Peters urges colleagues to support funding for farm loans
By Allison Green
U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) spoke on the Senate Floor on the need to support Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan programs. The Farm Service Agency works with lenders to guarantee and deliver loans to the small farms that need them the most. In June 2016, FSA operating loans faced a significant funding shortfall due to high demand, and hundreds of farmers whose loans had already been approved could not receive the funds they needed until Congress passed emergency appropriations in December 2016. Peters is leading a bipartisan letter urging Congressional appropriators to provide robust funding for Farm Service Agency loan programs in the 2018 budget.
“Small farms that are just starting out — or are facing tough economic conditions — sometimes struggle to secure affordable credit. That is why I am working across the aisle with Senator Tillis to urge Congressional Appropriators to fully fund Farm Service Agency loan programs as Congress considers government funding bills for 2018.
“Access to capital is critical across a range of businesses, but it is incredibly important for our farmers,” said Peters. “They can lose out on entire growing seasons if they can’t buy the equipment and supplies they need while they wait on Congress to fund the Farm Service Agency.”
Michigan delegation members join bipartisan push to keep EPA Region 5 Office open
By Miranda Margowsky
U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters and Representatives John Conyers Jr, Sander Levin, Dan Kildee, Debbie Dingell, and Brenda Lawrence sent a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt stressing the importance of the Great Lakes.
Following reports that the Trump Administration plans to abolish Region 5 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — which serves Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio — as part of the fiscal year 2018 budget, U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters and Representatives John Conyers Jr., Sander Levin, Dan Kildee, Debbie Dingell, and Brenda Lawrence joined a bipartisan push calling for the Region 5 office to remain intact and fully supported. In a bicameral letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, members of Congress from the Great Lakes region stressed the importance of the Great Lakes, which provide 90 percent of the nation’s fresh water supply and are a source of drinking water for more than 30 million Americans.
“We write to express our grave concerns regarding reports that the Administration plans to abolish Region 5 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of the fiscal year 2018 budget. EPA Region 5 is critical to protecting the air, drinking water, and health of residents in the six Great Lakes states the region serves and closing its headquarters in Chicago would make EPA less efficient and effective in its efforts to protect human health and the environment. Accordingly, we request that you commit to preserving EPA Region 5,” the members wrote.
New Guinea, the second largest island in the world, has a complicated history. To start, it’s divided into two halves: the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua in the west, and the eastern half is the independent country of Papua New Guinea. Amazingly, the 7 million people on the island are divided up into almost 1,000 different tribes and languages, making it the most linguistically diverse spot on the planet.
Corazza’s book focuses on the unique photographic depiction of these endangered cultures, with succinct commentary. Some of it seems truly bizarre, as if the author had dropped in on another planet altogether, but maybe that’s what they would say about us! In any case, Corazza provides unforgettable images for the armchair traveler.
The Committee to Honor César E. Chávez has partnered with the Grand Rapids Public Museum and the Unity Committee to host the 2017 César E. Chávez “5 de mayo” Celebration.
The public is invited to this annual event,Friday, May 5, at the museum, 272 Pearl St NW, from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 per individual, or a table of 10 for $300; purchase tickets online here.
“We are proud to be a partner with the Committee to Honor César E. Chávez in hosting this important community celebration,” said Dale A. Robertson, Grand Rapids Public Museum president and CEO. “The museum is a fitting place for this historical event; we believe in the value of working together to share stories and lessons that inspire and expand cultural opportunities for all.”
Three community members will be honored for their service and social justice work:
Andrés Abreu, editor-in-chief, El Vocero Hispano;
Carol Hennessey, Kent County commissioner, 14th district; and
José Reyna, community health programs director for Spectrum Health.
The celebration will feature authentic Mexican food, music and dancing.
Area colleges and universities joining the Committee to Honor César E. Chávez to support this event include: Aquinas College, Calvin College, Kendall College of Art and Design, Davenport University, Ferris State University, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Valley State University, and Western Michigan University-Grand Rapids.
“Many of our campus partners serve a diverse populations and Grand Valley is proud to partner with and support this annual cultural event alongside our partner universities and colleges,” said Jesse Bernal, vice president for Inclusion and Equity at Grand Valley.
The Proud Aguila sponsors of the event are AT&T, Grand Rapids Public Schools, Grand Valley State University and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Lupe Ramos-Montigny “Si Se Puede” Legacy Endowed Scholarship at Grand Valley. Scholarships will be awarded in October to Hispanic students who are pursuing college degrees.
Questions about the event can be directed to Lupe Ramos-Montigny, chair of the Committee to Honor César E. Chávez, at lrmontigny@yahoo.com or 616.443.5922.
The crowds that come to Meijer Gardens, shown here for a summer concert, pump money into the local economy, according to a GVSU Study. (Supplied Meijer Gardens/Tony Norkus)
By Dottie Barnes
Grand Valley State University
The overall economic impact of Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park on Kent County is $75.2 million, which supports 804 jobs, according to a study by Grand Valley State University researchers.
The entrance to Meijer Gardens. (Supplied)
Economics professors Paul Isely and Christian Glupker, who conducted the study, reported that the annual economic impact of Meijer Gardens came from three components: the impact of visitor spending outside of the venue, the operations of the venue (including what visitors spend inside the venue) and construction spending.
Isely said one way Meijer Gardens adds to the regional economy is by bringing visitors to Kent County.
“As these individuals come to the county to visit, they spend money on food, lodging, entertainment, transportation and other items,” Isely said. “The combined dollar value of this spending translates into greater earnings for area employers and employees, as well as greater job creation.”
Glupker said direct spending by all visitors outside of Meijer Gardens is $22.7 million, with more than 86 percent of this coming from people outside of Kent County.
“The result is a lot of new dollars into Kent County,” Glupker said. “This happens because the venue draws 445,000 visitors from outside Kent County and each of these individuals spends more as a result of a visit to Meijer Gardens than a comparable local visitor.”
David Hooker, president and CEO of Meijer Gardens, commented on the study by saying: “Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park has been embraced and supported by our wonderful community. It is with the community’s support that we can further our unique mission of horticulture and sculpture and bring joy to so many people. The Grand Valley study clearly shows the importance and support of the great cultural community that we have.”
Details of the study shows The Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park supports or contributes:
• 804 jobs in Kent County annually
• A $75.2 million economic output annually
• Visitors from outside the county who directly spend $19.6 million at businesses around Kent County annually
• Construction that created 39 jobs during the last year
• 86 percent of visitor spending is the result of spending by individuals who do not live in Kent County
• Nonresidents spent an average $129 per group outside the venue during their visit to Meijer Gardens while in Kent County.
SF Jazz Collective photographed in San Francisco in 2015. (Supplied St. Cecilia/Jay Blakesberg
By St. Cecilia Music Center
St. Cecilia Music Center will bring eight of the best jazz musicians from around the world to the Royce Auditorium stage on May 4. The SFJazz Collective is an all-star ensemble, that changes each season and is comprised of the finest performers/composers at work in jazz today.
SFJAZZ artists appearing at St. Cecilia include Miguel Zenon, alto saxophone; David Sanchez, tenor saxophone; Sean Jones, trumpet; Robin Eubank, trombone; Warren Wolf, vibraphone; Edward Simon, piano; Matt Penman, bass, and Obed Calvaire, drums.
The eight will perform the Collective’s arrangements of the music of Miles Davis as well as their own fresh compositions.
“If you are a jazz lover, this is the performance not to miss,” Cathy Holbrook, St. Cecilia executive director. “An eight-piece band made up of eight of the most talented jazz performers on the jazz scene today will culminate in an exciting night for everyone who is in the audience.”
The SFJAZZ Collective’s mission each year is to perform fresh arrangements of works by a modern master and newly commissioned pieces by each Collective member. More than any other figure, Miles Davis changed the sound of jazz — not once, but consistently over his career — from the birth of bebop in the 1940s to the integration of rock that gave rise to the fusion movement in the 1970’s.
In addition to its outstanding line-up with a leaderless format, the SFJAZZ Collective has also been praised for the innovative approach to repertoire. Through the pioneering approach of simultaneously honoring jazz’s recent history while championing the music’s up-to-the-minute directions, the Collective embodies SFJAZZ’s commitment to jazz as a living, ever-relevant art form.
As soloists, composers, and bandleaders, the SFJAZZ Collective represents what’s happening now in jazz. They also demonstrate that jazz has truly become an international language. Hailing from Ohio, Baltimore, Miami, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and New Zealand, the Collective’s multi-cultural lineup mirrors the explosion of jazz talent around the globe.
However, the jazz community only reached its current state by maintaining its traditions while simultaneously embracing innovation. This, too, is the essence of the SFJAZZ Collective. These exceptional artists come together in the name of jazz as a constantly evolving, quintessentially modern music.
A pre-concert wine and hors d’oeuvres reception for $15 per person is also optional when purchasing tickets for this event. There will be a a post-concert “Meet-the-artists” reception with all ticket-holders will be held giving the audience the opportunity to meet members of SFJazz and to obtain signed CDs of their music including their newest release.
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 a new forever home. 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.
Bluegrass has limited vision, unlimited love
Bluegrass — Male American Pit Bull Terrier
I’m a social and sweet 2-year-old dog looking for my forever home! I have limited vision and reduced depth perception so I would do well in a home with older/respectful children who would take care not to startle me. I would also do well in a home where I don’t have to take too many stairs because this can be tough with my limited vision. Please come meet me at Humane Society of West Michigan!
More about Bluegrass:
Breed: Terrier, American Pit Bull/Mix
Age: 2 years
Gender: Male
Size: Medium
Neutered
Animal ID: 34721285
Adorable Icy has been waiting since December 2016 for a home of her own
Icy — Female Domestic Short Hair
I’m a sweet 12-year-old cat STILL looking for my forever home! I have been patiently waiting at Humane Society of West Michigan since December 2016. I can be shy and like having my own little hiding space, but I’m also very friendly and loving. I enjoy pets and will approach visitors for some pets and ear scratches. I would do well with older, respectful children and a relaxed home. Please come meet me at Humane Society of West Michigan! Adoption fees are waived for animals 7 years and older, thanks to generous grant funding.
More about Icy:
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Age: 12 years
Gender: Female
Size: Small
Color: Brown/Orange
Spayed
Animal ID: 34225686
Tommy & Jerry — Male Domestic Short Hairs
Meet this dynamic pair of 13-year-old cats that have lived their whole lives together. They are a bonded pair and must be adopted together. They’d like to live in a quiet, relaxed home where we would have their own space to snuggle up and nap. They are both front declawed. Thanks to generous grant funding, senior pets (ages 7 years and older) always have their adoption fees waived.
More about Jerry:
Breed: Domestic Shorthair/Mix
Age: 13+
Gender: Male
Size: Medium
Color: Brown
Neutered
Declawed
Must be adopted with Tommy
Animal ID: 30861577
More about Tommy:
Breed: Domestic Shorthair/Mix
Age: 13+
Gender: Male
Size: Medium
Color: Brown/Black
Neutered
Must be adopted with Jerry
Animal ID: 30861563
Rocky — Male Hound Mix
This sweet, 2-year-old dog just recently arrived at HSWM from another shelter in Mississippi, which makes much of his history a mystery. Please come meet him at Humane Society of West Michigan!
This Saturday (4/29), HSWM is participating in Bissell Pet Foundation’s Empty the Shelter event. On Saturday, 4/29 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Bissell Pet Foundation will be paying for the adoption fees for all adult animals at HSWM.
A test for heartworm disease (if six months or older)
A first series of vaccines including DHLPP (distemper combo), Bordatella (kennel cough) vaccine, and rabies (if older than 14 weeks of age)
Spay/Neuter Surgery
Treatment for internal parasites
One dose of flea preventative
One dose of heartworm preventative
The organization 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.
There is absolutely no excuse to be bored this summer, not with the variety of offerings from local schools and organizations.
Compass College in Grand Rapids offers interested participants help in making a movie this summer. Learn from professionals how to act on camera and make films in their Summer Film and Acting camps. Running from June 19th to 23rd, these camps are designed for teens ages 13 to 18. Each camp offers a completely different experience: as a Film Camp student, you’ll write, shoot, and edit your own short film with guidance from seasoned filmmakers; in Acting Camp, you’ll work on perfecting on-camera acting techniques with a film actor as your coach, and then star in a film produced by Film Camp. At the end of the week, walk the red carpet as the films premiere for family and friends on the big screen.
TheDowntown Market in Grand Rapids has three- and four-day summer camps for the young foodie in your life. Camps are offered starting in late June and run through the beginning of August. Each camp has a distinct theme, ranging from Michigan’s fruits and vegetables to creating and utilizing a backyard farm. Sign up today for what Downtown Market cleverly calls their “Simmer Camps”.
Grand Rapids Treetop Adventure Park is hosting its first ever Treetop Climbing Camp, a climbing day camp for the curious, adventurous, and outdoor-lovers in your house. At the Treetop Climbing Camp, you will get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at what is involved in adventure climbing, including one-on-one training from their skilled park guides. Two sessions are now available, with session one from June 19th to 21st and session two from June 26th to 28th. The camp is best suited for kids ages 10 to 15, but more importantly, campers need to be able to reach six feet with their arms straight up.
TheGrand Rapids Ballet has a variety of camps that are all centered around dance. Their Ballet School has programs for ballet, young dancers, boys ballet, and summer intensive training. They also have two Adaptive Dance programs, Explorer Dance (for children with Down syndrome) and Dancing with Parkinson’s (for adults with Parkinson’s disease). These Adaptive Dance classes allow students to experience the joy of dancing who may otherwise not have the opportunity to do so. Summer camps at the Grand Rapids Ballet are both fun and accessible for everyone.
The Grand Rapids Civic Theatre has summer camps that give students the chance to spend an entire week learning about theatre while having a blast making new friends. There are some fantastic additions to the extremely popular summer camp program this year, so you’ll want to take a look at their new offerings for the season. Camps range from age 4 all the way through high school.
Summer fun happens at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Join in and explore the wonders of science, history, culture, art and fun. For nine weeks this summer, kids ages 4 to 14 can use the museum as a learning lab, experimenting and growing, all while having a great time in one of the area’s most history-rich and “cool” environments.
The Wyoming Department of Public Safety is pleased to announce the first Citizen’s Academy for the spring of 2017. This academy is specifically designed for clergy and leadership staff from local churches. This series of presentations will describe and provide rationale for several services performed by the City of Wyoming and the Wyoming Department of Public Safety. There will be presentations about Public Safety functions followed by an open forum designed to promote meaningful discussions about community service, outreach and other issues faced by various segments of our community.
Members of the Wyoming Department of Public Safety have a strong desire to form meaningful relationships with the community it serves. Clergy members are important stakeholders in this process as well as valuable allies in creating a vibrant community dynamic. We hope that by working in tandem, we can develop and grow meaningful relationships built on trust based on our respective spheres of influence.
Schedule Week One (May 9)
Welcome by department staff/administration, Department Mission and Accreditation (CALEA), Program goals, Outreach, Community Needs, Service Model, Explanation of Police Services, Investigative Bureau, Patrol Operations, Administrative Operations, Building Tour, Open discussion forum for input from audience.
Week Two (May 16)
TACT/CNT operations, K9 demonstration, Forensics Unit, Open discussion forum for input from audience.
Week Three (May 23)
City Administration, 62A District Court Services, Fire Administration, Firearms Simulator, Open discussion forum for input from audience.
If you are interested in attending, please RSVP with Sgt. Brian Look with the Wyoming Department of Public Safety Community Services Unit and fill out a short application. Sgt. Look can be contacted in person at the Department, at 616-257-9711 or email: lookb@wyomingmi.gov
Winner of the National Book Award in 2011, Ward’s second novel is beautifully written and disturbing, with many “moral ambiguities” to consider. It would be a strong choice for book discussion groups and mature Young Adult readers.
The story begins and ends with a character as real as any of the humans — the pitbull China. China White, a loving, fighting dog, known for being a killer in the local pits of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, is in whelp for the first time, body convulsing, as she gifts her owner, 16-year-old Skeetah, with the new lives.
Esch, the only girl in a family without living women, will come to see China as a totem and an example of what being a female and a mother involves. Because even though Esch is only 15, she’s been having sex since she was 12, and nature has finally taken its natural course. Will her pregnancy go like China’s or take the darker path her mother walked?
With Mama nine years gone and no female relatives or friends, Esch tries to find guidance where she can. Lately, she has been framing things through the filter of the ancient Greek myths, where men and women, egged on by unseen forces, are tossed about by fate. In Esch’s life now, she’s longing for love but instead she’s visited with an obsession for an older boy almost as humiliating as Pasiphae’s or Medea’s. It’s telling that Esch is jealous, not of her man’s steady girlfriend, but of the care and devotion her brother and China share.
The author lets us in on a small world with unwasted, poetic prose. If you skip one sentence, you might miss the whole key to a character, and each member of this family is well worth knowing.
But it’s not a good time for men or dogs along the Gulf Coast now, twelve days out before the hurricane hits. Only Daddy Batiste senses the strength of the coming storm in his alcoholic bones and pushes his children to prepare. When Katrina finally arrives like Yaweh’s answer to Job or Krishna’s revelation to Arjuna, it’s with an incomprehensible power that leaves Bois Sauvage dumbstruck.
My only caveat with this excellent book is that while Ward’s style is unsparing about the most painful aspects of being human, there’s a terrible irony in the way that dog fighting is whitewashed as a cultural sport, almost like boxing.
Men We Reaped: A Memoir, is another not-to-be-missed read by Jesmyn Ward.
In preparation for an upcoming Poverty Simulation, volunteer staffers Mary, Cindy, Tom and Rhoeda were busy at work compiling participant packets and organizing materials.
The Poverty Simulation is just one of many programs at Access of West Michigan to create solutions to poverty through education and collaboration. The goal in these seminars is to bring awareness of the realities of poverty and to encourage people to get involved.
The “Living on the Edge” poverty simulation provides an opportunity for participants to walk in the shoes of someone living in a low-income environment. The participant must navigate with their “family” how to provide for expenses, make ends meet and be sustainable throughout the event.
As staffers of the events, Tom and Rhoeda have been working with and learning from these simulations. What began as a way to simply get involved with the community has become a meaningful experience of inspiring participants to engage and learn.
Both Tom and Rhoeda, married, retired and living in Muskegon, volunteer to prepare for the simulations by preparing the packages of money and ensuring all participants will have what they need. At the simulation events, Rhoeda loves interacting with the “family members” working hard to stay afloat.
“I like interacting with the participants,” she said, “watching them get into their roles, with their comments, discussions — they’re deep in thought.”
Tom has also been moved by his experiences of being a part of the simulations.
“I heard a participant comment on how she really thought about it when she had to go do the different things, like leaving her child home to go work,” he said. When families are involved, things get personal.
Rhoeda gets excited about these events, because they’re so important.
“The way it changes people’s attitudes,” she said. “The way they treat people in poverty can make a big difference.”
Mary and Cindy also volunteer in the preparation for the simulation, and equally appreciate the opportunity to watch people’s attitudes change.
“I like to see the interactions with the families,” Mary said. “They cooperate with families, make a community of their own.”
After an afternoon of packing, planning and preparing, the team of volunteers was ready for the upcoming event. For them, it’s not just hours to fill their time, it’s an opportunity to create an awareness of poverty — on a personal level.
And these staffers would know. Some have lived it.
Girls water polo is on tap for WKTV featured coverage this week.
By Mike Moll
WKTV Sports
The WKTV truck and the crews will continue to bring various events to the airwaves this spring and this week we will be at East Kentwood covering girls water polo — twice!
The tentative April schedule for WKTV coverage concludes with:
Tuesday, April 25 Water polo, Grand Haven @ East Kentwood
Thursday, April 27 Water Polo West Ottawa @ East Kentwood
Each game will be broadcast that night on Live Wire Comcast Channel 24 at 10:30 p.m. throughout the Grand Rapids Metro Area and repeat on later in the week — the Tuesday games will be rebroadcast Wednesdays at 5 p.m., and the Wednesday and Thursday games will be rebroadcast Saturdays at 11 a.m. — on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T U-verse Channel 99 in Wyoming & Kentwood.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week in April, and any changes to the WKTV feature game schedule, see now.wktv.org/sports/
The complete list of local high school sports events this week due to spring break is as follows:
Monday, April 24
Boys Golf
South Christian @ Middleville T-K – OK Gold Jamboree @ Yankee Springs
International Jazz Saxophonist Tim Warfield, Jr. joins the nationally recognized Byron Center Jazz Orchestra for COOL JAZZ on Friday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Van Singel Fine Arts Center as part of the 2016-2017 Chemical Bank Series.
Tim Warfield, Jr., a native of York, Pennsylvania, began studying the alto saxophone at age nine. He switched to tenor saxophone during his first year at William Penn Sr. High School where he participated in various musical ensembles winning many jazz soloist awards, including second out of forty competitors at the Montreal Festival of Music in Canada. After high school, Warfield attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. for two years before leaving to lead and co-lead groups in the Central Pennsylvania and Baltimore/Washington areas.
Warfield has made several television appearances including the “Today Show,” “Bill Cosby’s You Bet Your Life” (where he was a member of the house band until 1992), and Ted Turner’s 1998 Trumpet Awards. Additionally, he has made numerous stage appearances with such names as Donald Byrd, Michelle Rosewoman, Marcus Miller, Marlon Jordan, James Williams, Christian McBride, Winard Harper, Dizzy Gillespie, Leslie Burrs to name a few, along as having been on several Grammy-nominated recordings.
Most recently, Warfield was recognized as the Clef Club of Jazz and the Performing arts Tenor Saxophonist of the Year. His newest recording is “Spherical,” which is a Criss Cross Jazz recording, is dedicated to piano genius and jazz icon Thelonious Sphere Monk and features trumpet legend Eddie Henderson, pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Ben Wolfe and drummer Clarence Penn.
Warfield currently serves as a board member, and music committee chairperson, for the Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz and also serves as “artist-in-residence” at Messiah College in Grantham, Pa, and an adjunct music faculty member at Temple University, in Philadelphia, Pa. Warfield recently joined the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia, under the direction of Terell Stafford.
Byron Center Jazz Orchestra
The Byron Center Jazz Orchestra, directed by Marc Townley, has competed at the Swing Central Jazz Festival in Savannah, Georgia every spring since 2014 and this year ranked third out of 12 high school bands from throughout the nation. This May will be the orchestra’s second time competing in New York at Essentially Ellington Jazz Competition and Festival at Lincoln Center in New York.
Reserved seats are $16.50 for adults and $11.50 for students. Reserve tickets in person at the Van Singel box office or by calling 616-878-6800, Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are also available at www.vsfac.com.
The Van Singel Fine Arts Center is located at the east end of the Byron Center High School complex, at 8500 Burlingame SW, located at 84th Street and Burlingame SW in Byron Center, just 1.5 miles west of US-131. The Van Singel features free, easy parking and curbside handicap parking is available.
Peters cosponsors legislation to establish national registry for firefighters suffering from cancer
Cancer is a leading cause of deaths for firefighters
By WKTV Contributor
U.S Senator Gary Peters announced he is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to establish a national registry that would better monitor cancer diagnoses in firefighters. The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act would also improve voluntary data collection to track and respond to firefighters’ unique health care needs. Firefighters are exposed to hazardous toxins and carcinogens in the line of duty and have a higher risk for cancer, which is a leading cause of death for career firefighters. According to the International Association of Fire Fighters, nearly 60% of firefighters will die from cancer.
“Firefighters put their lives on the line every day to help protect our homes and our communities, and in return they deserve to receive the best care possible,” said Senator Peters, a member of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.
The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act would create a voluntary registry to collect and catalog health data related to the high instances of cancer among firefighters. The registry would include information such as years of service, number of fire incidents responded to, and any additional occupational risk factors. The data will be made publicly available to researchers to help support groundbreaking research to determine any link between exposure to toxins and cancer, and develop better protective gear and prevention techniques to improve firefighter safety.
According to a 2010 study by the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) firefighters have a 14 percent increased risk of dying from cancer compared to the general population. Firefighters are also much more likely to be diagnosed with unique forms of cancer, such as malignant mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure.
Peters cosponsors bipartisan bill to promote research and development of wood products for building construction
By Allison Green
U.S Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), has announced he is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to encourage research and development of innovative uses for wood as a building material in the construction of tall buildings over 85 feet in height. The Timber Innovation Act of 2017, which was introduced by U.S Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), would direct the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish programs to advance and improve environmentally-friendly wood building construction, support Michigan’s forestry industry and encourage good stewardship of forestry resources. According to a 2015 report from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), Michigan’s forestry industry supports approximately 87,000 jobs and contributed nearly $17.8 billion to the state’s economy.
“Michigan’s forests are not only beautiful, they are an important economic resource for our state, especially in our rural communities in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula,” said Senator Peters.
While lumber and wood products have been a key part of construction for centuries, most wood buildings do not exceed three to four stories in height. Recent developments in wood products engineering and new technologies, such as laminated timber and lumber, have encouraged greater use of wood in larger construction projects. According to the USDA, wood building materials are often more sustainable and environmentally friendly than other common building materials.
The Timber Innovation Act would build on recent developments in wood construction by promoting research and development through the National Forest Products Lab and American colleges and universities to identify new methods for the construction of wood buildings and to study the commercialization, safety, and environmental impact of tall wood building materials. The bill would also create a Wood Innovation Grant program to encourage builders to adopt emerging technologies and cutting-edge wood products, and launch an annual Tall Wood Building Competition to promote the development of new tall wood building designs.
Peters cosponsors legislation to improve access to care for women veterans
By Allison Green
U.S. Senator Gary Peters, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a former Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, announced he is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation that would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide better access to services to help meet the unique health care needs of women veterans. The Deborah Sampson Act, named for a woman who disguised herself to serve in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, would improve access to specialized services, like maternity and newborn care. According to the VA, there are approximately 2 million women veterans across the country, including more than 46,000 in Michigan.
“As the number of women veterans continues to grow, we must ensure that they are able to access the care and services they have earned by serving our country in uniform,” said Senator Peters.
The Deborah Simpson Act would improve access to support services, including counseling and legal support for issues such as housing, eviction and child support issues. The bill also improves health care for women veterans by requiring every VA facility to have at least one women’s health primary care provider on staff, authorizing funding to retrofit VA facilities to enhance privacy and provide a better care environment, and expanding coverage for specialized services including maternity and newborn care.
Peters, colleagues to urge Trump to quickly nominate government watchdogs
Inspectors General needed to conduct critical oversight and investigations of taxpayer dollars
By WKTV Contributor
U.S Senator Gary Peters, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management, joined a bipartisan group of his colleagues to send a letter urging President Donald Trump to quickly nominate qualified candidates for Inspectors General (IGs), who serve as watchdogs at federal agencies. According to a 2014 report from the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), for every federal dollar invested in the IG community, IGs recoup 18 dollars in potential savings from identifying waste, fraud, and abuse.
“While many acting IGs have served admirably in the absence of permanent leadership, the lack of a permanent leader threatens to impede the ability of these offices to conduct the oversight and investigations necessary to ensure that taxpayer dollars are protected, public safety risks are identified, and that whistleblowers who expose waste, fraud, and abuse are protected,” the senators wrote. “In addition, the lack of a permanent IG can create the potential for conflicts of interest and diminish the essential independence of IGs.”
Many government agencies have an independent Office of the Inspector General that is responsible for auditing federal programs in order to improve government operations and target waste, fraud, and abuse, as well as investigating whistleblower claims and allegations of wrongdoing. The following agencies currently lack a presidentially-appointed permanent Inspector General: Department of the Interior, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Office of Personnel Management, Social Security Administration, National Security Agency, Small Business Administration and Intelligence Community. The United States Postal Service, AbilityOne Commission, and the Federal Election Commission have Inspectors General vacancies that the agencies are required to fill. The members of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee had previously sent a similar letter to President Obama urging him to fill Inspectors General vacancies.
Peters cosponsors bill to help more veterans suffering from PTSD receive mental health treatment
By WKTV Contributor
U.S Senator Gary Peters has announced he is cosponsoring legislation to require the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide mental and behavioral health services to certain former servicemembers who received less than honorable discharges, also known as “bad paper” discharges. The Honor Our Commitment Act of 2017 would extend eligibility for VA mental health benefits to individuals with bad paper discharges who are suffering from mental health disorders as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI) sustained during their service.
“Our veterans put their lives on the line in service to our country, and they have earned the right to get the treatment they need for injuries sustained during their service, including the invisible wounds of war like PTSD and traumatic brain injuries,” said Senator Peters, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a former Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. “I am proud to join my colleagues in supporting this legislation that will ensure our brave service members can get the health care services they need both during and after their military service.”
A less than honorable discharge, or bad paper discharge, is often given for instances of minor misconduct such as being late to formation and missing appointments – behavior that can be seen in those suffering from PTSD, TBI, and other trauma-related conditions. A less than honorable discharge renders servicemembers ineligible for certain benefits, including Post-9/11 G.I. Bill educational benefits and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loans. The bill applies to former servicemembers who received a general or other-than-honorable discharge.
The VA has recently announced that it will extend only limited mental health services for suicide prevention and crisis prevention to veterans who qualify, such as the Veterans Crisis Line. According to an investigation by the National Journal, 13% of Post-9/11 veterans – roughly 318,000 – have left the service with a less than honorable discharge. This status denies most of them of VA educational, economic and other benefits. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, between 11-20% of these veterans have PTSD in a given year.
Last year, President Obama signed into law Peters’ bipartisan Fairness for Veterans amendment that helps veterans with a bad paper discharge resulting from behavior caused by PTSD to petition for an upgrade in their discharge status. An upgrade to an honorable discharge would help certain veterans access benefits earned through their service like VA home loans and educational benefits provided by the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill.
Peters statement on reported potential closure of EPA Region 5 Office
By WKTV Contributor
U.S. Senator Gary Peters has released the following statement on reports that President Trump’s Administration may close the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 Office in Chicago that serves Michigan and other Great Lakes states:
“While these reports have yet to be confirmed, I am gravely concerned with any effort to potentially close the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional office, which would be a disaster for the Great Lakes. Not only are the Great Lakes a source of clean drinking water for over 40 million people, but they play a critical role in our economy – from shipping and commerce to tourism and travel. Important Environmental Protection Agency programs help restore portions of the Great Lakes watershed and protect against threats like toxic algal blooms and invasive species.
“The Environmental Protection Agency also provides important technical assistance as the City of Flint recovers from the water crisis and considers a transition to a new water source. Flint families still cannot drink tap water without a filter, and as more communities deal with the effects of aging infrastructure on the health of their water systems, we should be strengthening – not cutting – these vital federal tools.
“I am committed to fighting any proposal to close the Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 office, which would threaten public health in communities across Michigan and endanger the Great Lakes for future generations.”
Birthed out of a vision to empower community youth, The Summit is designed to equip middle and high school youth to think critically about personal choices and future ambitions, emerging community health and wellness trends related to underage substance use/misuse, and the power community teens have individually and collectively to impact peers, family and community norms and the world by making a personal commitment to live Above the Influence.
This year’s ‘Summit: Recode‘ is all about encouraging this generation to take a stand and to drive positive change in the community, while transforming health and wellness trends and overcoming pop culture messages that suggest that alcohol, tobacco and other drugs are not harmful. Ultimately, this year’s theme speaks to Summit 2017’s goal of empowering and equipping every attendee to excel individually, lead socially and revolutionize their families, schools and community by living Above the Influence.
The Summit is designed to:
Engage youth in being visible, valuable and vocal to underage substance use prevention efforts in Kent County
Champion the voices and engagement of youth in the work of underage substance use prevention
Understand the underage substance use issues and emerging trends in Kent County
Engage youth as investors in the health and wellness of Kent County
Develop adolescent leadership skills and talents
Foster relationship-building among teens across the county, state and region
Create opportunities for youth to engage community leaders and elected officials
Uses innovation, art, technology and media to deliver prevention messages
The Kent County Prevention Coalition (KCPC) is a team of 25+ member organizations who all share a genuine concern for improving the health and wellness of the community. They band together to change community conditions, norms, systems and policies in a variety of creative ways.
The organization’s purpose is to prevent and reduce substance use behaviors in Kent County with a focus on youth. They are committed to being visible, valuable and vocal in the work of substance abuse prevention.
The work of the coalition is about people, passion, partnerships and performance. These goals are achieved by taking prevention to culture. Rather urban, suburban or rural, these issues impact where people work, live, play, learn and worship.
Not all bosses are created equal. If you have a difficult supervisor, here are some ways to cope:
Know their work habits. Do they like to communicate in person or via email? Do they need coffee right away? Adjust your work style accordingly to create a more pleasant work environment.
Do your job well. Increase your value as an employee by being productive and positive, even if your boss doesn’t seem to notice.
Be professional. Are you doing anything to contribute to the issues with your boss? Are you defensive in meetings or gossip with co-workers? If you don’t know, ask someone you trust for honest feedback.
Talk to your boss. Ask them to clarify expectations and priorities. Make sure to write them down so you and your boss can refer back to it.
Try to reach a compromise. If clarifying expectations doesn’t help the situation, set up a time with your boss to discuss the issues in an honest and respectful way. Think of solutions to suggest at the meeting.
If all else fails, talk to HR. If things still don’t change after meeting with your boss, talk with Human Resources. Remember to report any bullying or harassment immediately.
If your relationship with your boss is still unhealthy, consider joining a company with a better culture. When you’re happy in your job you’re more likely to succeed and grow. Employment Expertise is provided by West Michigan Works! Learn more about how they can help: visit westmiworks.org or your local Service Center.
With much of the necessary updates made to the City of Wyoming’s library building, Wyoming officials are now turning their attention to its parks by asking its voters to allow the city’s dedicated library maintenance millage to be opened up to make improvements at four of its parks.
The proposal will go before voters at the May 2 election. It is requesting that about .16 of the .39 library maintenance levy be used to help with park improvements. The nearly $800,000 per year raised would be used to pay a 15-year bond of $4.4 million. The bond money would be used for four parks: Ideal, Jackson, Ferrand, and Gezon.
“From a mill levy standpoint it is less than $12 a year,” said Wyoming’s Director of Community Services Rebecca Rynbrandt. “So it is the average cost for a homeowner in the City of Wyoming less than one cup of coffee a month.”
The City of Wyoming’s request is not an increase to voters but would allow the city more flexibility in using the library maintenance funds for park improvements.
“By being creative, by being flexible, we can meet the needs of this community without having to ask voters for an increase in millage,” said Rynbrandt, who oversees the city’s Park and Recreation Department.
More than $650,000 in facility improvements have been made at the library, which is located at 3350 Michael Ave. SW. Those improvements have included a new roof and the conversion of the former library cafe into a public meeting space. The library is part of the Kent District Library system, which provides for all of the materials, books, CDs, etc. Those materials are covered by the KDL millage. The city’s library maintenance millage is only for the facility and would have no impact on the operation of the library, Rynbrandt said.
“So here we are at the point now where we are saying that we don’t need to make significant investment in library maintenance for the next ten years so we have a choice,” Rynbrandt said. “Can we ask the voters to recognize maintenance and capital needs in the park system and would they allow us the flexibility to use some of those library maintenance funds on park capital.”
Every five years, the City of Wyoming meets with residents and city staff to review needs at its parks. Through that process, the city has recognized more than $23 million in park improvements. In 1994, Wyoming residents did grant a park millage which for the past 20 years the city has been able to invest and maintain the parks without an increase, Rynbrandt said.
However, within four years the city has had several natural disasters — a 2013 flood, and 2014 and 2016 tornados — which has created a greater need, Rynbrandt said. Highlighting some of those needs is Ideal Park, one of the four parks that would receive funding through the millage proposal. Ideal Park was severally impacted from the 2014 tornado with its playground equipment destroyed. The city was able to remove much of the debris and get the park reopened only to have the 2016 tornado cause more damage.
Ideal Park was closed after the 2014 tornado caused serve damage, destroy the park’s playground.
Learning from those lessons, Rynbrandt said the city recognizes that it needs to improve the security at the park along with the entrances and exits. The city also would like to replace the playground equipment as well, she said.
Another park is Gezon Park, located between Gezon Parkway and 52nd Street, which has had tremendous residential growth around it. A site plan was developed for the park in 1996, which needs to be reviewed, Rynbrandt said since things have changed so much around the park.
“We didn’t have splash pads back then,” Rynbrandt said as example of some of the changes. The south and north ends of the park have been developed, but the center of the park remains mostly open with residents asking when will the development for that area begin.
Also on the list is Ferrand Park, a small pocket park located off of Byron Center, that serves a very dense residential area, Rynbrandt said. The park has not had any improvements or new equipment in a number of years.
Jackson Park is the last park on the list. Located at 1331 33rd St. SW, this park, which at one time had a swimming pool, is in an area that was once Lake Alexandria and floods frequently. One of the goals is to improve the stormwater control along with security and safety as well as put in a restroom and improve parking.
For more about the millage request and the four parks, visit wyparks.com or visit wyomingmi.gov and go to Parks and Recreation.
Full title: The Pain Chronicles: Cures, Myths, Mysteries, Prayers, Diaries, Brain Scans, Healing, and the Science of Suffering
By Lisa Boss, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main
Most of us know someone with chronic pain, but we don’t really know much about the disease itself.
Why and how can it develop and how do doctors treat it? It’s a surprisingly intriguing subject, full of paradoxes and hope.
One day, after a long swim, Melanie’s life would change when she developed a severe pain in her neck, and it did not go away. Not after weeks, not after months; and thus began the journey into the labyrinth of chronic pain and its defeat. A writer by profession, she spent eight years of research visiting doctors and patients at our country’s best pain clinics. A fascinating and exceptionally readable book that seeks to answer the question, “What made the difference? Why did some people become better?”
Thernstrom’s book is a cultural, historic and neurological tour of this mysterious and misunderstood disease. Also a validating work for pain patients and their supporters, who are often dismayed as much by their treatments as their conditions. For instance, it isn’t your imagination — minorities and women often do receive quite different medical care from doctors.
Two other excellent memoirs are Paula Kamen’s, All in My Head : An Epic Quest to Cure an Unrelenting, Totally Unreasonable, and Only Slightly Enlightening Headache, and Lynne Greenberg’s, The Body Broken: A Memoir.
With colorful petals radiating from a bright orange center, the mandala Circle of Art rug represents the universe and all its connectivity.
For members of Wyoming High School’s National Art Honor Society, it’s also a way of connecting with a program right in their school that helps reduce conflict and unite people.
Sinai Salvador, Cecilia Medina and Bekah Luce created the mandala Circle of Art to symbolize restorative justice
NAHS members and juniors Sinai Salvador, Cecilia Medina and Bekah Luce created the rug at the request of Marilyn Booker, who facilitates restorative justice circles at the high school. Booker wanted a symbol that complemented her practice, and students came up with the design. They showcased the rug at the district’s recent Fine Arts Festival.
Restorative justice, an outreach of the Grand Rapids-based nonprofit Dispute Resolution Center of West Michiganthat started at the high school last school year, is a non-punitive, conflict-resolution program that helps students solve differences using trained mediators.
Connecting, Uniting, Restoring
In restorative circles, students who are having conflicts tell each other through guided conversation with Booker what’s on their minds. They hold something, like a squishy ball, to indicate their turn to speak. The goal is to reduce suspensions and address harmful behaviors in a therapeutic way. It has been successful and was expanded to the junior high this school year.
Booker lays the rug on the floor in the middle of the circles to give students a focal point if they aren’t quite ready to meet eye-to-eye.
“We made the rug to help relieve anxiety with these groups,” said Bekah. “A lot of times the kids don’t feel comfortable and don’t know where to look.”
The circle is a universal and eternal symbol seen in many aspects of life: the sun, the moon, the earth and the universe. Conflict is also a universal and eternal issue in society, Booker said: “In a circle, there is no disconnect. We are all connected in some way, shape, or form. … Part of doing circles is every voice is important.
“We are restoring kids instead of pushing them out,” she said.
Wyoming is a very diverse district, the fourth most diverse in the state, according to the website, Niche. In that context, Sinai explained the depth she sees in the piece.
“You can think of all the colors we connected in the mandala rug as all the races that are connected in our school society,” Sinai said. “That’s why it’s used in the restorative program. It gets everyone together.”
She sees the school’s diversity as a plus for understanding, noting “we all get along. It doesn’t matter where you come from, we all understand that we have different customs, but we all come together because we are all equal.
Restorative justice facilitator Marilyn Booker (far left) hosts a Restorative Circle, with the mandala rug in the center, with, from left, students Kiara Kornoelje, Ashley Elliott, Makenna Vanderstolp and Shay Sees
“It’s a way for the school environment to flourish. That’s also why we picked the flower.”
Art and Its Many Connections
Wyoming High’s National Art Honor Society, which includes 21 students, focuses on creating art that connects with the greater community, school community and with themselves, said adviser and art teacher Robin Gransow-Higley.
In 1978, the National Art Education Association began the NAHS program to inspire and recognize students who have shown an outstanding ability and interest in art, though it’s open to all students.
Wyoming NAHS students organized the district’s recent Fine Arts Festival, which included works from those in grades K-12, plus choir and theater performances, demonstrations by various clubs, face-painting and other activities. Students are also creating a mural representing student athletics and activities.
The club aims to encircle the community it its own way, through art, Higley said.
“They connect with the greater community, school community and with themselves,” she said.
A Cutlerville resident came across this stunning — but stinky — intact male on Nov. 18, 2016, and contacted a friend for help; that friend kept the kitty indoors for three days but was unable to house him long-term.
When the strapping stud arrived at the clinic on the 21st, he was completely loaded with flea dirt and crawling with live fleas, had significant gingivitis and completely missing an entire toenail from his left rear foot. However, he weighed in at 12.5 pounds — he was well-fed while out roaming the streets — so he did have that going for him, along with being a well-muscled, fine specimen of a cat; we now had quite the hunk in our possession! Dr. Jen’s first order of business was to retest him for FELV/FIV as he had supposedly tested positive for one of the viruses at another clinic; testing at intake (and again a month later) revealed a negative viral status. Once neutered and cleaned up, bold and beguiling Bryant made his way on down to Crash’s.
Born in November of 2013, Bryant is a total sweetheart the majority of the time, but has a tendency to get a wee bit nippy when he feels he has had enough attention. He will tolerate the other cats but we think he would ideally prefer to fly solo. He is a very confident guy, so he is not afraid to stand up to some of our more temperamental boys, not backing down and showing them what he is made of.
Because of his hot-and-cold attitude, we believe that it would be best that he be placed into a home without small children who might be apt to overlook his cues as to when he needs alone time. That being said, undoubtedly he will make a fabulous addition to someone who wants a cat who will be totally devoted to the human in his life, as long as he is given some space on occasion. He is a stunning boy who is sure to be the confidante and companion someone out there is looking for!
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.
According to a 2015 report on caregiving by the AARP, 16.6% of adults act as an unpaid caregiver of another adult age 50 or over. This may be a spouse caring for their husband/wife, a family caring for their mother/father, or even a friend caring for another who doesn’t have family available. As our aging population continues to grow, so will the number of people who find themselves in position of caring for a loved one.
Often when we begin having discussions about those we are caring for, with them or other family members, we often assume that the decisions are “Who is mom going to live with?” or “Should we start looking at nursing homes for dad?” A person caring for their spouse may be reluctant to ask for help, believing that it means they are incapable of providing for their loved one, and fear losing them as a result. Many people are unaware that there are options available for older adults that may not require a move or loss of independence at all.
The MI Choice Medicaid WaiverProgram is one of these options. Created in 1992, MI Choice is an income-eligible program providing in-home services to older adults in order to help them remain in their own homes rather than a nursing home or to move in with a relative. With assistance, many older adults are able to live independently for the remainder of their lives.
Individuals in the MI Choice program can receive help with all sorts of daily living tasks, like in-home cleaning services, bathing and dressing, nursing, and meal delivery. Individuals may qualify for services like home modifications, personal emergency response systems, and transportation. For those families who already made the choice to have a loved one move in with them, these services are available to help care for a loved one in your home, as well as respite services for those times when family caregivers need a break. In addition, MI Choice Medicaid Waiver saves Michigan tax-payers money.
Providing in-home services costs far less than a move into a nursing home. Applying for the MI Choice program begins with a phone call to Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan. Applicants to the program are pre-screened for income eligibility, so it is important to have financial information on hand. Once an applicant’s income is verified, a Care Management team, comprised of a Social Worker and an R.N., is sent to the home to do an assessment. This assessment determines what supports are necessary to help an older adult remain at home.
Throughout this process, the individual and anyone else they choose to have involved has a say in what services they want and how they want them delivered. There are supports we may be qualified to have, but we do not want them, or we want less of them. The Care Management team will work to insure you have a say in decisions made about your care every step of the way.
If you are interested in learning more about the services that may be available to you or your loved ones or you would like to begin the application process, contact Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan at 888.456.5664 or email at aaainfo@aaawm.org. Even if the MI Choice Medicaid Waiver program isn’t for you, there are a number of other services available through Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan and their partners for older adults, people with disabilities, and their caregivers. Visit our website: www.aaawm.org or find us on Facebook.
Sunshine and warm weather provide plenty of opportunity to get outside and be active. Don’t let an emergency get in the way of your summertime fun. Here are five tips to keep your family safe this summer.
Window Safety. Opening up windows and letting in a cool breeze is a welcome change in spring but can also increase the risk of falls, especially for small children and pets. Move furniture that kids and pets might climb on away from windows. If you have double-hung windows, open the top and keep the bottom closed. Remember, screens don’t make windows safe; even a small child can fall through a screen.
Injuries. Summer provides all kinds of opportunities to get outside and be active. Be sure to wear protective gear like helmets when biking, skating or riding a scooter and appropriate pads and guards for sports activities. And don’t forget the sunscreen!
Severe Storms. As tornado season begins, be sure to identify a safe place to go when there’s a tornado risk. The best options are in the basement or a storm cellar. If you don’t have one of these options, identify an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows.
Water. Swimming and enjoying Michigan’s many natural waterways is a great way to cool off in the summer. Stay safe this summer by swimming with a buddy; don’t allow someone to swim alone. Young children and inexperienced swimmers should always wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket around water.
Heat Waves. Never leave children or pets alone in an enclosed vehicle. In just a few minutes, temperatures can become life threatening!
Unfortunately, no matter how prepared we are, emergencies can happen. Now, a new service, available to Kent County residents, can get you help faster.
Smart911 allows you to create a free online safety profile to assist 911 dispatch. For example, dispatch technology used by 911 systems can sometimes pin cell phone calls to inaccurate locations. However, with a Smart911 profile you can register your cell phone to a specific address. Call-takers will have a precise location for your home along with other key information like home layout, family make-up, pet descriptions, medical information and gas and electrical shutoff locations.
ACSET Community Action Agency (CAA) is dedicated to providing resources to members of our community. We hope you will visit Smart911 to learn more and sign up for this potentially life-saving service!
Your Community in Action! is provided by ASCET Community Action Agency. To learn more about how they help meet emergency needs and assist with areas of self-sufficiency, visit www.communityactionkent.org
The April 19, discussion, “The New Peacebuilding: Challenges and Opportunities”, will be led by Dr. George Lopez, Hesburgh.
WKTV Contributor
The World Affairs Council of Western Michigan and the Kent District Library is holding a series of discussions titled “Give Peace a Chance” at the KDL Cascade Township Branch with the second of three discussions being Wednesday, April 19.
The Cascade library is located at 2870 Jack Smith Ave SE, Grand Rapids. The lectures, scheduled from 6:30-7:30 p.m. each day, are free, open to the public and free parking is provided.
The April 19, discussion, “The New Peacebuilding: Challenges and Opportunities”, will be led by Dr. George Lopez, Hesburgh Professor of Peace Studies, Emeritus, Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame. Description: “Many pundits and professional politicians suggest that our era of global violence, and especially terrorism, makes peace a fantasy. This presentation will challenge that claim and will illustrate the new pathways to building peace, particularly on ways in which individual citizens and larger civil society groups can play important roles in building peace in their local communities and especially in outreach to the wider world.”
The Thursday, April 27, discussion, “Perspectives on Peace in the New Administration”, will be led by Dr. Frederic Pearson, Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, Wayne State University. Description: “With the presidential elections so recent, it is unclear what direction the new administration will take. Dr. Pearson will outline President Trump’s first 100 days in office. Given the trends in his presidential policy thus far, he’ll assess what that means for the prospects of peace worldwide.”
By Laura Nawrot, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main
The unique setting makes Water for Elephants a delightful read. The novel starts out in a present-day nursing home as a narrative of one of the residents, Jacob Jankowski. Although Jacob has some difficulty remembering whether he’s ninety or ninety-three years old, he can easily recall the time he spent as the veterinarian for a mid-sized traveling circus during the Depression. The story alternates between the past and the present, reflecting Jacob’s mind.
Jacob is a strong character, and author Sara Gruen maintains the integrity of his personality throughout the story, even when portraying Jacob at different ages. She also develops believable supporting characters in Jacob’s love interest, Marlena, and his nemesis, August. In addition, I liked the tension that was created as the story wove its way back and forth between the decades. The description was solid without being intrusive, although I would have enjoyed a little more texture through the inclusion of the various smells of a circus. Gruen explains in an extensive, but interesting author’s note how she came to write this story.
I recommend this book to multi-generational readers. It has wide appeal to those who enjoy historical fiction, drama, and romance, and touches on issues that cross generations: love and loss, following your dreams while earning a living, and the traumas of youth and aging.
LB/LB-two colossal multi-talented geniuses make up this entertaining program devised by Michael Christie. Anticipating Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday by a year, this pairing of two of his finest works with the music of a composer Bernstein performed nearly every year of his career will make for a truly satisfying evening. With the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus front and center the concert closes with Beethoven’s ‘warm up’ to the Ninth Symphony-the Choral Fantasy with a text extolling the brotherhood of humanity. In the Chichester Psalms, Bernstein draws on his Jewish heritage to exhort humankind to goodness, drawing on some of the most beloved Psalms of the Old Testament. The theatrical Beethoven and Bernstein round out the program with Beethoven’s third and most thrilling try at an overture to his only opera and with a suite from Bernstein’s score for the iconic Marlon Brando film.
Dates:
04/21/2017, 8 p.m.
04/22/2017, 8 p.m.
Location:
DeVos Performance Hall, 303 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
The high school baseball and softball seasons are starting up on Wyoming and Kentwood area. (WKTV)
By Mike Moll
WKTV Sports
The WKTV truck and the crews will continue to bring various events to the airwaves this spring and this week we will be at South Christian for a baseball game and at Godwin Heights for a softball — and check out next week’s schedule of water polo coverage!
The tentative April schedule for WKTV coverage is:
Tuesday, April 18 Baseball, Wyoming @ South Christian
Thursday, April 20 Softball Union @ Godwin Heights
Tuesday, April 25 Water polo, Grand Haven @ East Kentwood
Thursday, April 27 Water Polo West Ottawa @ East Kentwood
Each game will be broadcast that night on Live Wire Comcast Channel 24 at 10:30 p.m. throughout the Grand Rapids Metro Area and repeat on later in the week — the Tuesday games will be rebroadcast Wednesdays at 5 p.m., and the Wednesday and Thursday games will be rebroadcast Saturdays at 11 a.m. — on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T U-verse Channel 99 in Wyoming & Kentwood.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week in April, and any changes to the WKTV feature game schedule, see now.wktv.org/sports/
The complete list of local high school sports events this week due to spring break is as follows:
Monday, April 17
Boys Golf
South Christian @ Forest Hills Invite – Egypt Valley
East Kentwood @ Forest Hills Invite – Egypt Valley
Girls Tennis
Wyoming @ South Christian
Kelloggsville @ Calvin Christian
East Kentwood @ Byron Center
Boys Lacrosse
Comstock Park @ South Christian
Girls Soccer
South Christian @ Wayland
Kelloggsville @ Wyoming Lee
Hopkins @ Godwin Heights
East Grand Rapids @ Wyoming
Boys Baseball
Godwin Heights @ Calvin Christian
West Michigan Aviation @ Tri-Unity Christian – DH
Potter’s House @ Kelloggsville – DH
NorthPointe Christian @ Wyoming Lee
Girls Softball
Godwin Heights @ Calvin Christian
NorthPointe Christian @ Wyoming Lee – DH
Tuesday April 18
Boys Baseball
Wyoming @ South Christian – DH
Holland Black River @ Potter’s House – DH
Zion Christian @ Saranac – DH
East Kentwood @ West Ottawa – DH
West Michigan Lutheran @ Three Oaks River Valley
Girls Softball
Wyoming @ South Christian – DH
East Kentwood @ West Ottawa – DH
Girls Soccer
Godwin Heights @ Potter’s House
Wellsprings Prep @ Tri-Unity Christian
Union @ West Michigan Aviation
Zion Christian @ Calvary Christian
West Ottawa @ East Kentwood
Boys Golf
East Kentwood @ Grand Haven – OK Red Jamboree
Boys/Girls Track
East Kentwood @ Grandville
Wyoming Lee @ Belding
Girls Water Polo
East Kentwood @ Hudsonville
Wednesday April 19
Boys Golf
South Christian @ Christian – OK Gold Jamboree @ Quail Ridge
Wyoming @ Christian – OK Gold Jamboree @ Quail Ridge
March 2017 was the single busiest month in Gerald R. Ford International (GFIA) Airport history. The month’s passenger numbers were up 11.17 percent year-over-year, resulting in the busiest March ever, the busiest first quarter ever and breaking an all-time monthly record from July 2016.
“To have a record-breaker like this is incredible,” said GFIA Authority President and CEO Jim Gill. “Not only does it go down as the busiest month in Gerald R. Ford International Airport history, but to do it by over 10 percent is just tremendous.”
July 2016 was previously the business month in GFIA history with 238,237 total passengers. In March 2017, 256,880 total passengers traveled through GFIA — breaking the previous record by 7.83 percent.
Each month of 2017 has resulted in record-breaking passenger numbers, also equating to GFIA recording its busiest first quarter in history. Through March 2017, GFIA has served 685,278 passengers — up by almost 9 percent from 2016.
“As we continue to grow in traffic it is imperative that our facilities keep up with our passenger demand,” said Gill. “We will continue to do our part to improve our amenities, technology, customer service and infrastructure. We are excited to see what the future holds, and we only expect more growth in the years to come.”
Think about West Michigan. What do you love about it? What about it could improve?
The first question should (hopefully) be an easy one. The second one is probably more challenging. Change is often scary and almost always involves a long, complicated process. How can one person change anything? Here’s the thing: It takes a community to change a community.
Over the past year, a diverse group of community members has been forming with a shared goal: to better address LGBTQ youth homelessness in our community. Led by Arbor Circle, the group includes folks working in shelters, local businesses, libraries, schools, child welfare, juvenile justice groups and more.
Arbor Circle and the Safe Impact Community Group have announced a partnership with the True Colors Fund to create a strategic plan to better address LGBTQ youth homelessness in West Michigan.
What does that mean, exactly? Think of it this way: the Safe Impact Community Group is a football team, out on the field every day running plays, making moves, and training to accomplish their goal. The True Colors Fund acts as a coach, helping the team develop strategies, facilitate meetings and utilize new technologies to stay organized and focused.
Over the coming months, the partnership will develop a community-wide plan together to bring the number of LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness in West Michigan down to none.
Who is a part of the Safe Impact Community Group?
The group consists of concerned community members, as well as representatives from partner organizations who are working to address LGBTQ youth homelessness. This includes the Coalition to End Homelessness, Grand Rapids Pride Center, Grand Rapids Public Schools, HQ, Kent ISD, Our LGBT Fund, and Wellhouse. If you or your community group is interested in getting involved, please reach out at the contact provided below.
What can you do?
If you’d like to get involved, please contact Julie Cnossen at Arbor Circle. Go here for more information.
Kent County’s website accesskent.comhad more than 2.2 million visits recorded in 2016, logging nearly 300,000 online transactions (a 21 percent increase from 2015). Today, accessKent has a new look and more convenient design. The new homepage features images promoting various parts of Kent County – from city to suburban to rural communities – and highlights some of the great lists where the County has landed in top spots. The redesign simplifies site navigation, providing a search bar where users can immediately request the page they need. Designers added Google Translate to assist Spanish-speaking residents and enhancements for users who are visually-impaired.
The site continues to use technology that reacts to the size of the device being used, adjusting content to fit on smart phones and tablets. “People are accessing services on devices such as smart phones more and more, so our goal is to be user-friendly anywhere, anytime,” said Daryl Delabbio, Kent County Administrator/ Controller. “I personally compared our site to other websites in Michigan counties and cities, and while accessKent has always been one of the best, this redesign is impressive and intuitive, providing excellent customer service in a timely manner.”
The vendor for accessKent.com devoted a great deal of time and research into the redesign. “My staff looked at the top governmental and institutional websites in the country for influence and inspiration,” said JoAnn Arcand, President of WebTecs, Inc. “We wanted to create a model based on what has proven to be successful and simple in communities like ours. I’m proud of our work to re-create accessKent.” Some of the services offered include:
Court Records Searches & Payments
Deeds and Property Look-up
Friend of the Court
Certified Vital Records and Marriage License Requests
Inmate Look-up
Dog Licensing
Restaurant Inspection Reports
Human Resources/Applications for Employment
“This website is the forward face of Kent County to those looking to locate their businesses here as well as companies already located here in the County,” said Rick Chapla, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at The Right Place and member of the Enhanced Access Board which provides direction and recommendations for the accessKent.com site. “In an era of instant access to information and commerce, this new redesign will make it easier, quicker, and more convenient for businesses to engage with Kent County. It will be a business-friendly tool that will provide the information a business wants, when they want it.”
Earth Day 2017 will be a special day of celebration for Blandford Nature Center. On Saturday, April 22, Blandford will host the grand opening of the new Mary Jane Dockeray Visitor Center. All are welcome and the event is free.
Blandford Nature Center’s founder, Dr. Mary Jane Dockeray, recently celebrated her 90th birthday with a small party in the new auditorium.
“It’s just amazing how far we’ve come. I would have never imagined,” said Dockeray. “Blandford has always been an important part of Grand Rapids, but now we’re really blossoming! I can’t wait to see what’s next!”
The 11,000-square-foot, LEED-certified visitor center provides an open and welcoming lobby complete with stone fireplace, a large auditorium, an outdoor amphitheater, and an upgraded Wildlife Education Center that houses Blandford’s “Wildlife Ambassadors.” Many of the wood decorative features came from trees that were harvested as part of the construction process.
“When people see our new building, some are surprised that there aren’t more displays like you would typically see at a museum or old-style nature center,” stated Jennifer Brown, Blandford’s Director of Programs and Services. “That’s intentional. As a nature center that looks forward, we recognize that our visitors spend enough time indoors. We encourage our visitors to find more exciting things outdoors.”
The Mary Jane Dockeray Visitor Center at Blandford Nature Center
Dockeray and Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss are scheduled to give remarks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1:30 p.m., and the grand opening itself will run from 1 to 3 p.m. Tours of the new facility will be available.
Along with Blandford, representatives from 13 other local environmental organizations that together make the Grand Rapids Conservation Collective are scheduled to attend the grand opening celebration. The Collective, which is a semi-annual gathering of like-minded organizations, showcases the work being done across the community on behalf of the environment. Organizations will have materials and activities that demonstrate the role they play in the larger conservation movement in West Michigan.
“We appreciate the support of everyone who has made this project possible. From our volunteers to our donors to our community partners, their help has made this a dream come true,” said Jason Meyer, President and CEO of Blandford.
Meyer said Blandford is continuing work on the original visitor center that is slated to be named the Peter M. Wege Environmental Education Center.
Supporters of the project include the Wege Foundation, the Meijer Foundation, Mary Jane Dockeray, and over 450 other donors from around the world.
About Blandford Nature Center:
Blandford Nature Center’s mission is to engage and empower our community through enriching experiences in nature. We envision a thriving, diverse community that supports a healthy, natural world. 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 501(c)3 nonprofit.
Peters announces bill to help small businesses applying for federal contracts
U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) is introducing bipartisan legislation with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) to help protect small businesses from falling victim to fraud when they register to procure federal contracts. The Procurement Fraud Prevention Act would require small businesses to be notified that free assistance is available for help in procuring government contracts through federal programs, including Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs), the Small Business Administration (SBA), and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). Many business owners are unaware these resources exist and fall victim to scams that mislead them into paying high sums of money for contract procurement assistance.
All small businesses applying for federal contracting opportunities must register in the General Services Administration’s (GSA) System for Award Management (SAM). Unfortunately, bad actors disguised as vendors or government officials obtain businesses’ contacts from this public database and email business owners directly after they have registered asking for high sums of money in return for registration and contracting assistance. As a result, many small businesses unwittingly sign up for services they were not seeking at the cost of hundreds or thousands of dollars.
The Procurement Fraud Prevention Act requires GSA and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to ensure that any direct communication to a small business about its registration in a procurement system, including SAM, contains information about cost-free federal procurement technical assistance services available through PTACs, SBA, MBDA and other programs.
Michigan is home to ten PTACs and over 850,000 small businesses that account for half of the state’s private workforce.
Peters, Stabenow urge Trump Administration to release Army Corps Brandon Road Study to stop spread of Asian carp
U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) together with 10 other Great Lakes Senators have called on the Trump Administration to release a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study that recommends specific measures to prevent Asian Carp from getting beyond the Brandon Road Lock and Dam, a crucial chokepoint in the Chicago waterway system. The study, which is critical to stopping the flow of Asian Carp and other invasive species, was supposed to be released at the end of February but was delayed by the Trump Administration.
“We request the Administration release the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ draft proposal to prevent Asian carp from reaching and severely harming the Great Lakes,” wrote the lawmakers. “We are concerned by what we understand to be a White House decision to delay and potentially modify this report that has been under development for years. When taken together with the proposal to eliminate all funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in the fiscal year 2018 budget, delaying the release of this plan to address Asian carp only raises further questions about the Administration’s commitment to protecting our Great Lakes.”
Peters, Gardner call for increase in U.S. science funding
U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Cory Gardner (R-CO), members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee urging the Committee to support a substantial increase in federal funding for science, research, and development at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
“Ongoing federal initiatives in research and development are already responsible for billions of dollars in economic output and tens of thousands of jobs in our home states of Colorado and Michigan,” wrote the Senators.
“The United States is facing fierce international competition: China invests more than $335 billion annually on research and development initiatives, making them the second largest investor in the world and putting them on track to eclipse U.S. investments soon,” continued the Senators. “Without a substantial increase in research and development appropriations, the United States risks losing its role as the global leader in innovation.”
Peters, Gardner introduce resolution to eliminate duplicative government programs
U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) have introduced the Congressional Oversight to Start Taxpayer Savings Resolution (COST Savings Resolution), bipartisan legislation that would require Congressional committees to hold oversight hearings on the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) Annual Report of Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation, Overlap and Duplication and the GAO High Risk List.
“Congress is responsible for ensuring taxpayer dollars are being used effectively and efficiently, and this annual report provides a roadmap to help Congress streamline government and cut wasteful spending,” said Senator Peters, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management. “By reducing programs that overlap or duplicate efforts, we can cut costs for taxpayers and help ensure that government is serving the American people more productively.”
The COST Savings Resolution directs Congressional committees to take into account recommendations on how to improve the effectiveness of government programs and eliminate unnecessary costs caused by duplicative federal programs, as well as vulnerabilities for waste, fraud, and abuse and the need for transformation of government programs.
The 2016 GAO annual report identified 37 areas across the federal government where Congress could eliminate duplicative programs and improve efficiency and effectiveness, as well as 25 areas where Congress could reduce the cost of government operations.
