Men and women of all ages, at all fitness levels, stand to benefit from increased activity. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
By Robert Preidt, HealthDay
No matter your fitness level, adding just a little more exercise may prolong your life, new research suggests.
“People think they have to start going to the gym and exercising hard to get fitter,” said researcher Elin Ekblom-Bak, from the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences in Stockholm.
“But it doesn’t have to be that complicated. For most people, just being more active in daily life—taking the stairs, exiting the metro station early, cycling to work—is enough to benefit health since levels are so low to start with,” she said. “The more you do, the better.”
Ekblom-Bak and her colleagues looked at more than 316,000 adults in Sweden, aged 18 to 74, whose heart-lung (cardiorespiratory) fitness was assessed between 1995 and 2015.
Participants rode a stationary cycle to determine the maximum amount of oxygen the heart and lungs can provide the muscles during exercise, a measure called VO2 max.
Overall, the risk of all-cause death and death from cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke fell 2.8% to 3.2% for each milliliter increase in VO2 max. The benefits of increased activity were seen in men and women, in all age groups, and at all fitness levels.
The study was to be presented recently at a European Society of Cardiology meeting, in Lisbon, Portugal. Such research is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
“It is particularly important to note that an increase in fitness was beneficial, regardless of the starting point,” Ekblom-Bak said in a meeting news release. “This suggests that people with lower levels of cardiorespiratory fitness have the most to gain from boosting their fitness.”
She said the findings are “more motivational than just telling people they need to do better. People in the lower range of VO2 max will reduce their risk even more (9%) while those at the upper end of VO2 max will reduce their risk by 1%,” she said.
Improving fitness should be a public health priority and doctors should assess patients’ fitness during health screening, according to Ekblom-Bak.
“Our previous research has shown that fitness levels in the general population have dropped by 10% in the last 25 years,” she noted.
“In 2016-2017, almost every second man and woman had a low fitness level, so this is a huge problem,” Ekblom-Bak added. “Poor fitness is as detrimental as smoking, obesity and diabetes, even in otherwise healthy adults, yet unlike these other risk factors it is not routinely measured.”
Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.
The most effective defense against hepatitis A is vaccination, but the most vulnerable populations typically remain unvaccinated. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
The number of Americans infected with hepatitis A has grown nearly 300% in just three years, health officials reported recently.
The staggering increase has come despite an effective vaccine and is seen mostly among drug abusers and the homeless, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hepatitis A virus can linger in feces and be spread hand-to-hand, with infection occurring when a hand contaminated by the virus touches the person’s mouth.
“In the previous decade, large outbreaks of hepatitis A were rare and mostly attributed to contaminated commercial food products,” noted lead researcher Dr. Monique Foster, an epidemiologist in CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis.
Although 2016 saw two outbreaks of hepatitis A caused by contaminated food, the main culprit of outbreaks has been the living conditions of drug addicts and the homeless, Foster said.
The vast majority of the thousands of U.S. cases between 2016 and 2018 involved person-to-person transmission, Foster added.
“Since the hepatitis A outbreaks were first identified in 2016, more than 15,000 cases, 8,500 hospitalizations and 140 deaths have been reported,” she said.
Although hepatitis A can make you very sick, it usually goes away by itself in about six months, after which you become immune, explained Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.
Hepatitis A attacks the liver, he said. Those most likely to develop serious liver illness are those with other conditions like cancer or those whose immune systems are not functioning normally.
The most effective defense against this potentially deadly infection is vaccination, which is also the best way to prevent outbreaks, Foster said.
“Since the widespread availability of the hepatitis A vaccine and recommendations to vaccinate children, the overall rate of hepatitis A infections has decreased dramatically in the U.S.,” she said.
But a large population of susceptible, unvaccinated adults who were not infected during childhood remain vulnerable to infection, Foster said.
This includes people who use drugs, homeless people and gay and bisexual men, she said.
“Vaccination is the most powerful tool we have to stop these outbreaks now and prevent similar ones in the future,” Foster said.
To this end, the CDC recommends that those at the highest risk get vaccinated.
“Transience, economic instability and limited access to health care among the affected populations have made the outbreaks more difficult for states to control,” Foster said.
Siegel believes, however, that the only way to contain the epidemic and prevent future outbreaks is to solve the social problems that feed it.
“This is really not a hepatitis A problem and it’s not solvable by giving everybody a vaccine,” he said. “We have to realize it’s a public health issue and it’s a matter of cleaning up places where the virus breeds.”
Only by improving sanitation can outbreaks among the most vulnerable be prevented, Siegel said. “It’s more an issue of sanitation, public safety and cultural problems than it is one of public awareness.”
The report was published recently in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Community members gather for the Wyoming Memorial Day program. (Photo by Harriet Sturim)
Remembering those who have fallen
This Monday is Memorial Day, a time when the nation stops and remembers those who “gave the ultimate sacrifice,” their lives, for their country. Ceremonies have been planned for both the cities of Kentwood and Wyoming. The Kentwood Memorial Day program is at 10 a.m. starting at the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), near the corner of 48th Street and Eastern Avenue and ending at Kentwood’s Veteran’s Memorial Park on 48th Street. The City of Wyoming’s ceremony takes place at 7 p.m. at its Veterans Memorial Park located in front of the Wyoming Department of Public Safety on DeHoop Avenue.
Deep in Space
Since many are checking out the new “Star Trek” trailer, “Star Trek: Picard,” we thought we would remind you that NASA will be featuring the Russian spacewalk on Wednesday, May 29. The walk, which will air on WKTV, starts at 11:44 a.m. The cosmonauts will continue with the upgrades to the International Space Station.
Now Open
Many people will probably be grilling out this weekend. If you are searching for a suggestion, visit one of the newly remodeled Family Fare stores. The one on Burlingame in Wyoming features the Thrill to Grill, with suggestions from leading grill masters. Or, if the weather really is rainy all weekend, as predicted, you could just pick up one of the ready-to-go meals and book a movie.
The American Flag: A ‘B’ at Best
Bob Heft, the designer of the current U.S. American flag, once told “StoryCorps” that the flag he designed was actually a school project where he needed to bring in something he made. This was in 1958 and there were only 48 states but it was likely that both Alaska and Hawaii would be accepted into the union. So Heft went home and made a 50-star flag. His teacher was not impressed and gave him a ‘B.” Heft protested and the teacher told him to get it accepted into Washington and he would consider changing the grade. Heft sent the flag to Washington and once Hawaii was accepted as the 50th state, he got a call from former President Dwight D. Eisenhower telling Heft his flag design had been accepted. The teacher changed the grade to an “A.” Source.
On Wednesday, May 29, WKTV Government 26 will be featuring live coverage of the International Space Station Russian Spacewalk.
Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, who is currently serving as commander of the station, and Alexey Ovchinin will venture outside the space station Wednesday morning for a six-and-half-hour spacewalk. The spacewalk is part of Expedition 59.
This is Kononenko’s fourth time to the International Space Station. This will be his third spacewalk. This is Ovchinin’s third trip to the International Space Station and his first spacewalk.
Coverage begins at 11:15 a.m., with the spacewalk scheduled to start at 11:44 a.m. The cosmonauts will continue with the upgrades to the International Space Station.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov.
NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
Warm weather activities seem custom-made for flip-flops.
But even Jimmy Buffett sings about how he blew out his flip-flop when he stepped on a pop top and cut his heel, then cruised on back home.
John Harris, DPM, FACFAS, a foot and ankle specialist with Spectrum Health Medical Group, certainly agrees with Buffett’s iconic lyrics. He would tell you not to wear the flip-flops in the first place. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about cutting your heel.
That’s not all Dr. Harris said about flip-flops, which he considers the scourge of the footwear world.
Top 3 reasons to throw out the flip-flops:
1. Ouch! Heel pain.
The lack of suitable, or any, arch support in flip-flops can cause plantar fasciitis—heel pain or pain across the bottom of the foot.
Anyone with this lingering condition will tell you to avoid it at all costs.
2. Pain in the … ball of the foot
Not having adequate cushioning and arch support can cause soreness on the bottom of the foot.
Treatment requires more supportive shoes with effective arch support.
3. Avoid ‘flip-flop heel’
This condition is caused by walking around barefoot or wearing shoes that don’t have a back.
A thick callus rim forms around the edge of the heel when wearing shoes like flip-flops that don’t have backs to act as heel counters. This creates a situation in which your heel is constantly being exfoliated while walking. That creates a callus.
Aside from being unsightly, the cracked rim of the callus is painful.
Other flip-flip concerns
Less common, Dr. Harris said, but equally concerning are injuries from activities while wearing flip-flops.
Doctors often see ankle sprains from someone playing basketball or other sports in flip-flops, skin abrasions from a child riding a bike while wearing flip-flops, or cuts on a foot when a person wears flip-flops into a river and they slip off and float, exposing the barefoot to sharp rocks and river debris.
In addition, a study by Auburn University points out that wearing flip-flops causes you to take shorter steps and changes the way you walk compared to your gait while wearing sneakers. This can cause muscle strain.
“Instead of flip-flops, wear activity-specific shoe gear,” Dr. Harris suggested.
He pointed out that the child riding a bike should wear sneakers, the basketball player should wear basketball shoes or sneakers, and the person in the river should wear something like Keen shoes for walking in a lake or river, unless it is a sandy-bottomed lake.
“For daily wear in the summer, I’ll wear a pair of shoes similar to flip-flops,” Dr. Harris conceded. “But, I choose a shoe or sandal that has a more substantial sole and significant arch support compared to the inexpensive and flimsy flip-flops you find at stores all over town.”
There are many brands that fit this category, he said, suggesting people look for something like Chaco, Keen, Teva or Vionic.
“They’re designed to protect your foot while allowing you to engage in activities,” he said.
All in all, Dr. Harris encourages everyone to look for summer sandals that have a more substantial sole compared to those that feature a couple millimeters of foam, often found in common flip-flops, and to look for sandals with arch support rather than just a flat surface for the foot bed.
“No matter what brand you select, you still should never play basketball or mow your lawn in flip-flops,” Dr. Harris warned. “It’s just too risky.”
It was quite the affair at the Wyoming Family Fare grocery store at 2900 Burlingame Ave. SW this past Saturday.
SpartanNash representatives, City of Wyoming officials, and community members celebrated the grand reopening of 18 Family Fare stores in the SpartanNash chain. The stores underwent about $18.3 million of renovations all designed to meet the changing needs of the community and the Family Fare customers.
“It is no surprise to me that they decided to have this ribbon cutting ceremony in the City of Wyoming,” said Mayor Jack Poll, who recently retired from Family Fare after serving as a pharmacist for 15 years. “Where else would you have it?
“We are very pleased to have two stores that are very successful in the city of Wyoming,” Poll said. “They are beautiful stores There are a lot of new things going on and we are really excited to have them here. We look forward to much success here with SpartanNash as they lead in the industry to make this a better place to work and live.”
The redesigned featured the new branding, “keeping it real,” which is centered around creating an exceptional customer experience based. The branding focuses on five promises:
Local: A commitment to supporting local farms, produce, businesses and the community. The store features local products in every aisle along with a commitment of about 60,000 volunteering hours each year by SpartanNash employees within the community.
With value beyond price: A commitment on low prices on items and conveniences such as Thrill on the Grill and lobster mac-and-cheese grab-and-go meals, ready-made sides and starters, plus Fast Lane shopping.
With affordable wellness: A commitment to offer affordable choices that are healthier on a number of items from medications to gluten-free, plant-based proteins, or natural and organic products.
SpartanNash CEO Dave Staples talks to the crowd during the ribbon cutting ceremony on May 18. (WKTV)
Socially smart: A commitment to social and environmental consciousness that include the stores being energy efficient along with supporting a variety of programs and reducing ingredients lists on the store’s products.
Fun and indulgent: This includes the Fresh Divide, the expert Family Fare pit masters, gourmet popcorn, and an in-store taquerias featuring a full-service taco and burrito bars along with fresh-made tortillas and tamales.
“This allows us to feature popular items such as the Japanese ice cream wrapped in sticky rice (also known as Mochi),” said SpartanNash CEO Dave Staples as he talked about all the options available through the redesign to a pack crowd at the Family Fare
In fact, the Burlingame store includes many of the new features of the redesigned such as the Fresh Divide and Thrill on the Grill along wth a Starbucks cafe upon entering. The enter store has gone through an intense remodel, making the store a shopping experience.
“We want people to have an experience when they come here,” said SpartanNash Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Communication Meredith Gremel. “We want them to really enjoy coming to a Family Fare.”
With the desire to create that shopping experience, SpartanNash officials decided to focus on the Burlingame location, closing the one at Rogers Plaza, according to Gremel.
Other Family Fare stores that have been remodeled include the ones in Georgetown Township, Hudsonville, Byron Center, Grandville, Holland, Kentwood, Zeeland, and Grand Rapids.
The Land Conservancy of West Michigan has successfully completed the Phase One campaign for The Highlands. The future of the former golf course as a premier space for learning, recreation and conservation is now secure.
“We are incredibly grateful to the community and donors who have made Phase One of The Highlands project a success,” said Joe Engel, Executive Director at the Land Conservancy of West Michigan. “We are looking forward to a bright—and green—future for this vibrant natural space here in Grand Rapids.”
The Highlands is a partnership between the Land Conservancy of West Michigan and Blandford Nature Center. Both organizations share a passion for preservation, education and making natural spaces available to everyone in the Grand Rapids community. When the 121-acre Highlands Golf Club went up for sale, the two organizations saw it as an opportunity to join forces in a long-term collaboration to transform the land into an accessible urban refuge.
In January 2017, Blandford Nature Center acquired The Highlands with a loan from The Conservation Fund. The Conservation Fund is a national nonprofit organization that helps local communities achieve their conservation goals.
“Had Blandford Nature Center not been able to step in with the Land Conservancy of West Michigan and acquire this property, it would be turning into a housing development right now,” said Jason Meyer, President/CEO of Blandford Nature Center. “We are grateful to the Land Conservancy for their hard work on the Phase One campaign to secure the future of The Highlands.”
The Land Conservancy of West Michigan spearheaded the campaign to raise over $5 million to cover the purchase of the property, a long-term restoration and management fund, miscellaneous campaign costs and the master plan for Phase Two.
“We asked the community to show their support for this project that will provide Grand Rapids families opportunities to engage in healthy outdoor activities and environmental education,” said campaign co-chair David Morgenstern. “They responded resoundingly.”
The completion of the campaign opens the doors for Phase Two, which will focus on implementing the master plan for the property—including installing trails, building a pavilion, adding wetlands and wildlife habitat and opening up a stream long-buried beneath the east end of the property.
“We’re excited that the foundation has now been laid for Phase Two, where the community’s collective vision for The Highlands will come to life,” said campaign co-chair Marti O’Brien.
The Highlands is the first and only neighborhood-based natural space in northwest Grand Rapids that is completely free and open to the public. Its main entrance on Leonard Street is right on The Rapid bus line. With restoration managed by the Land Conservancy of West Michigan, The Highlands will once again become home to native plants and wildlife for all of Grand Rapids to discover.
“For years, expanding Blandford Nature Center to include the 121 acres that made up the former Highlands Golf Club was a pipe dream,” said Mary Jane Dockeray, founder of Blandford Nature Center and campaign co-chair. “To see it transform into a natural area to be appreciated and used by all Grand Rapids citizens is a gift.”
There will be a public celebration of the milestone achievement at The Highlands on the eve of the summer solstice. The event will feature guided hikes, music by AnDro, ice cream and more. It will take place on Thursday, June 20, 2019 from 6:30-8:30pm at The Highlands located at 2715 Leonard St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504. Learn more about the event on the Land Conservancy’s website.
Phase One of The Highlands project was made possible with support from the Judy & Kenneth Betz Family, CDV5 Foundation, Consumers Energy Foundation, Peter C. and Emajean Cook Foundation, Frey Foundation Fund of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, Grand Rapids Community Foundation, REI, The Conservation Fund, Third Coast Development, Wege Foundation, Wolverine Worldwide Foundation and many more.
For many women, cardiovascular disease is personal because they have lost their mom or sister to a heart attack or stroke.
They get how heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, and that too many women are robbed of happy years with family and friends. They have experienced firsthand a loss that could have been prevented.
Women’s heart disease is more common than thought, and especially increases after menopause if women do not take estrogen medication.
There are other risk factors, which include belly fat, pre-diabetes or diabetes, lack of exercise, sleep deprivation, and a diet high in processed foods, unhealthy carbohydrates and saturated fats.
Prevention of heart attacks and strokes is possible, but has to start with a goal and a plan.
Once a woman decides to not have heart disease, or if she survives a heart attack and wants to prevent another, she needs a team. On that team, at minimum, should be a preventive cardiologist and a certified menopause specialist. This team will put the patient in the middle, and partner with her to help her achieve her wellness goals.
An example of how such a team collaborates might be best told by a patient I’ll call Laura.
Laura came to see our menopause specialists because her hot flashes would not go away and interfered with her life.
She had been told hormones might not be safe because she was overweight, had high cholesterol and took blood pressure medication. Her family had a history of cardiovascular disease and her loved ones had suffered heart attacks.
Her biggest concern? To not have a heart attack herself. She was also desperate to get the hot flashes to stop.
As menopause specialists, the first thing we do after understanding a woman’s story and risk factors is to consider treatment options.
We always start with the SEEDS and Laura definitely had room for improvement in this area. She realized she needed to drink more water, cut the sugar, and get more restful hours of sleep each night.
These lifestyle habits alone could significantly ease her symptoms, but since she was only two years out from her last period, we also had the option of considering hormones. We know that FDA-approved hormone medications used the correct way can actually help reduce risk factors for heart disease and could definitely help her feel better.
In reviewing her history, I saw she had enough risk factors that I wanted the opinion of preventive cardiologist Thomas Boyden, MD. After an evaluation, testing and suggestions for how to prevent heart disease, Laura was cleared to proceed with our treatment plan.
The end result? Laura felt more informed, had the tools to be successful from her care team, and she could start taking hormones because they would be a safe option for her.
Laura now had hope for how she could age differently than her relatives.
Throughout southern Michigan, common milkweed is starting to emerge and adult monarch butterflies have arrived. At the start of this new monarch season, it’s helpful to review what we do and don’t know about monarch biology and conservation. Michigan is an important state for the Eastern migratory monarch, and supporting the summer breeding population is key to monarch conservation.
Recent research in our lab has focused on understanding where monarchs prefer to lay eggs and the fate of those eggs and young larvae (caterpillars). In our studies, monarchs have laid most of their eggs on common milkweed, although butterfly milkweed, swamp milkweed, and whorled milkweed are also utilized, especially later in the summer. When given a choice of laying eggs on common milkweed in different types of habitats, monarchs showed varying preferences.
In one year, monarchs laid more eggs on milkweed growing in corn fields while in another they laid more eggs on milkweed growing in grassland habitats. One of our key findings is that monarch eggs can experience very high rates of predation. In one study 90% of the eggs were consumed by predators before they hatched.
We’ve also been very interested in learning who eats monarch eggs and young larvae and what time of day these predation events occur. We collected a total of 75 insect and spider species from common milkweed and gave them access to eggs and young larvae in the lab. Of these, nearly half readily consumed one or more immature monarchs. We followed up the study by monitoring eggs in the field using video surveillance cameras, confirming that a wide diversity of arthropods consumed monarchs. Most surprising was that 74% of the predation events occurred at night! Common predators include: spiders, earwigs, tree crickets, and even the primarily plant-feeding, small milkweed bug.
Finally, we’ve been interested in what we can do to enhance monarch egg laying and survival. Longtime observers of monarchs have noted that when given the choice, females greatly prefer to lay their eggs on very young plants. Our studies have shown that by late June, common milkweed around East Lansing is becoming relatively unattractive for monarch egg laying. In addition, once it starts flowering, common milkweed attracts large numbers of ants and other predators. These observations led us to consider a new approach to managing milkweed for monarchs.
One egg on a milkweed leaf. Photo by Derrick Turner, Michigan State University Photography
As every gardener knows, cutting off milkweed stem above ground simply causes it to regenerate from the roots. We have found that by mowing approximately one-third of the common milkweed stems in a patch in mid-June and a second third in mid-July, the regenerating stems are more attractive, increasing monarch egg laying up to 10-fold and simultaneously reducing predator numbers by half or more. Our initial studies showed the monarch survival stays the same or increases, but we are repeating the study to gain more information.
To be clear, we are not suggesting indiscriminate mowing, but if your milkweed stand is starting to flower and the leaves are looking a bit tough, consider trimming back a few stems to near ground level and seeing if the new shoots that come up have more monarch eggs and caterpillars on them. If you’d like to share your observations send a report to landislab@msu.edu.
Growing up in southwest Grand Rapids, young Israel Ledesma knew both good times and bad. Using his personal experiences from the hard times – including brushes with the law — this local Latino leader fashioned his own view on kids, community, and the importance of mentoring.
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.“
~Winnie the Pooh
Lee High School graduation is tonight.
Pomp and Circumstance
Many members of the Class of 2019 will make that final walk across the stage this week marking the end of their K-12 school years. Kelloggsville High School beat everyone to the punch and hosted its graduation ceremony last week. Godfrey’s Lee High School’s commencement is Tuesday, May 21, at 7 p.m. at Resurrection Life Church and Wyoming High School also has graduation tonight at 7 p.m. at Grand Rapids First. Godwin Heights will have its commencement Wednesday, May 22, at 7 p.m. at its school auditorium. East Kentwood High School has commencement on Thursday, May 23, at 7 p.m. at the school stadium and South Christian’s Class of 2019 graduates on Thursday as well. Next week, Grand River Prep hosts its graduation ceremony at Calvin College’s VanNoord Arena on Thursday, May 30, at 6:30 p.m. WKTV would like to say congrats to all the 2019 graduates.
Avery Robinson III accepts the Alpha Wolf 11 Champion of Character award from Principal Nate Robrahan. (WKTV)
Pack Leaders
Last week, Wyoming High School recognized six more students as Alpha Wolf 11 Champions of Character. There were two each from the sophomore, junior and senior classes. All the students demonstrate the school’s motto of being “kind, compassionate, and gracious.” We wanted to give these students one last around of applause for being so awesome: sophomores Rohim Mohammod and Cameron Simon; juniors Thomas Bushman and Dale Cross III; and seniors Rayne Vieau-Parfait and Avery Robinson III. This year’s Alpha Wolf 11 teacher is math teacher and wrestling coach Steve Zajac.
Grow some food to donate to a local food pantry.
Grow A Row
Michigan State University Extension is encouraging home gardeners to consider “growing a row” of produce for donation to their local food pantry this season. Many northern Michigan pantries are seeking donations of fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs. Pantries ask that donated produce is clean, fresh, ripe, whole, uncut, undamaged and in separate packaging for different produce types. If using pesticides, make sure to follow the pesticide instructions. Please don’t donate produce that you wouldn’t buy for your own family.
Fun fact:
6 years for a 4-year degree
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 60 percent of the students who attended a four-year program in 2010 took six years to graduate from the program. It was 59 percent for those who attended public institutions, 66 percent for those who attended private non-profit institutions and 26 percent for those who attended private for-profit institutions.
Opera Grand Rapids presents tenor Zach Borichevsky in the role of Alfredo in the June 14 & 15 production of Italian composer, Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, at St. Cecilia Music Center. The heartbreaking true story of Parisian courtesan Marie Duplessis, La Traviata is one of the greatest operas of all time. The classic novella inspired the films, Camille, Pretty Woman and Moulin Rouge. Buy tickets here.
Below, Mr. Borichevsky shares some more details about himself and his life on and off the stage.
Where are you originally from?
Suburban Philadelphia, PA
Who has inspired you/been your greatest influence professionally? Why?
Pavarotti is a cliché answer, but he’s the finest vocal technician I’ve ever heard, while also being deeply, yet simply expressive.
Who/what brought you into the world of Opera?
Actually, Andrea Bocelli was my gateway singer—I sang his hit “Con te partirò” in a church basement at age 12 or so.
Where do you live now?
Near Tarrytown, NY, just north of NYC
What are your hobbies when not performing?
I’ve always been a bit of a political junkie (double majored in music and political science), but when I’m not reading or listening to every last piece of wonky policy journalism, I’m keeping up with the Philadelphia Phillies, who are looking formidable in 2019.
What is your favorite Role/Opera/Piece?
Has to be Rodolfo in La bohème.
What are your favorite things about being a professional musician?
Endless variety, yet comforting rituals remain between gigs. Working with new and old brilliant pianist friends, working with an orchestra for the first time, meeting new singer colleagues and seeing old friends after a long absence.
Least favorite?
Long absences from home (will be home a total of 100 days this year)
Where is your favorite place to travel/perform? Why?
Santa Fe is a beautiful place to spend a summer—both my summers there have been restorative (and I got engaged there!).
What performances/plans do you have in the next year?
I’ll be singing with Washington National Opera in the fall and very excited to sing in Rigoletto with my wife in both Nashville and Colorado in the spring/summer.
Holistic care seeks to address some of the aspects of your health that traditional care options can sometimes overlook. The holistic approach works to heal more than the body by taking the mental and spiritual needs of a patient into consideration. Things like aromatherapy using essential oils and color therapy help promote wellness that, when used with the direction of a healthcare professional in conjunction with regular care options, can lead to a happier and healthier you.
Music therapy is a type of holistic care that involves listening to, creating, or moving to music. A certified music therapist can assess the needs of an individual and create a plan that can improve physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs. Seniors in particular, whether in assisted living communities or other senior living communities, can greatly benefit from music therapy as it is low-effort and provides a number of holistic benefits.
Benefits of music therapy
Stress reduction
Music therapy can help seniors relax and focus not on their surroundings—which can often be stressful or frightening—but rather to what they are listening to. The right music and lyrics can slow an anxious heart rate and help seniors relax.
Pain alleviation
As with stress reduction, using music therapy can help seniors by focus their attention on the music rather than any physical pain that they may be suffering from. The treatment can help seniors by creating a sensory stimulation that relaxes muscles and calms the mind.
Bringing seniors together
Music therapy is often a social activity. Seniors can listen and do activities in groups while connecting to each other through the music. Being in a group during therapy helps seniors feel less isolated and alone. And an improved social life is important to your loved one’s overall well-being.
Physical movement and exercise
We all know songs that immediately get our feet tapping, and music
therapists know how to take advantage of this. Music encourages
movement. Swaying, tapping, dancing, and clapping are all forms of
physical movement that can improve a senior’s well being without being
straining and taxing on the body.
Improved mental health
Listening to music changes our moods. We notice this as we listen to our favorite songs and playlists. Some music can brighten us up, while other music can have a sobering effect. Music is incredibly powerful when it comes to affecting our moods, and a trained music therapist can harness that to improve the mental health of seniors.
Cognitive benefits
One of the most unique benefits of music therapy compared to other
holistic care options is the improvement it has been shown to have on
cognitive functions in seniors. The rhythmic sounds and vibrations in
music increases blood flow to the brain, which can help with a senior’s
ability to speak and think clearly.
Music therapy, dementia, and Alzheimer’s
A major reason behind the use of music therapy as a holistic care treatment for seniors is the relation between music and memory—namely, memory loss diseases like Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Music therapy has been shown to help seniors who are suffering from these ailments.
Music can trigger intense memories, even in patients who struggle with memory loss. There have been cases of unresponsive seniors in late stage dementia moving and interacting with music, and cases of nonverbal seniors humming or making noises during music therapy appointments.
Music therapy can also help pacify some of the aggressive and agitated behaviors associated with memory loss disease. As with stress and pain management through music therapy, the relaxing sounds and rhythms can help soothe seniors and encourage calmness.
Paying for music therapy
A big question that you may have is whether music therapy is a reimbursable service through a healthcare plan. Under Medicare, music therapy is a fully reimbursable service so long as they are included in part of a treatment plan rather than as a recreational activity. With Medicaid, music therapy can sometimes qualify under existing treatment categories. Each state is different, so make sure you know beforehand.
Private insurance usually goes through a case-by-case study, but nearly all major health care plans have reimbursed for music therapy at some point. Make sure that you have the backing of a health professional and a treatment plan to show how music therapy will help to reach treatment goals.
Final thoughts
Music therapy provides great benefits for seniors, but as with other
holistic care options it shouldn’t be taken as a magic cure for all
ailments, or as a replacement for traditional medical care. Music
therapy works best when combined with other care therapies.
Another thing to keep in mind is the lack of verified scientific research and scientific studies done on music therapy. While it is an established health profession there are some claims of what music therapy can do that ought to be carefully considered before they are believed.
You can find a music therapist near your loved one, or a sometimes a nearby open class specifically tailored for seniors. The benefits of music therapy when administered by a certified music therapist are incredible, and your senior family member can enjoy all the benefits of this holistic care treatment.
Michigan Agritourism has released the 2019 Discover Michigan Farm Fun Directory, a handy guide for finding authentic, local farm experiences in every region of the state. The directory showcases the unique agricultural destinations of the state’s seven regions, a seasonal produce guide, and colorful photos from featured farms.
The new directory includes quotes from notable Michganders who share their memories about a favorite farm experience. The list includes Tom Daldin of the PBS television program “Under the Radar”, Dorothy Zehnder of Frankenmuth’s Bavarian Inn Restaurant, and Jason Hall of RiDetroit, among others.
“These quotes bring the publication to life through personal stories about great times on Michigan farms,” said Janice Benson, executive director of Michigan Agritourism. “If we look back, many of us have fond memories of a school field trip or family visit to a local farm, and we hope to encourage people to seek out new memories this year.”
In addition to the fun experiences, supporting local farmers is good for the state’s economy, said Benson. “A visit to a local farm is a great way to say thank you to your Michigan farmers.”
The 2019 directory is produced with support from Farm Bureau Insurance and the Michigan Apple Committee. “We’re excited about the release of this year’s directory,” said Farm Bureau Insurance CEO Don Simon. “The guide promotes hundreds of farm destinations across Michigan where visitors can enjoy our state’s bountiful harvest, including farmers’ markets, orchards, cider mills, and many more popular agritourism spots. We’re proud to support Michigan farmers and the agritourism industry.”
Copies of the brand new directory can be picked up at local Farm Bureau Insurance offices, and at Michigan Welcome Centers and many tourist offices across Michigan.
Michigan Agritourism is a non-profit association that supports the agritourism industry through promotion, education, advocacy, problem resolution and networking. Its goal is to keep family farms sustainable, support local economic growth and provide rich and unique experiences for visitors to make lasting memories.
Calvin College is honored with 2018 Tree Campus USA® recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management. Calvin is one of five Michigan institutions to receive the distinction. (Michigan State University, University of Michigan, Washtenaw Community College, and Western Michigan University were also included.)
“Tree Campuses and their students set examples for not only their student bodies but the surrounding communities showcasing how trees create a healthier environment,” said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Because of your school’s participation air will be purer, water cleaner and your students and faculty will be surrounded by the shade and beauty the trees provide.”
Tree Campus USA, an Arbor Day Foundation program created in 2008, honors colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals. Calvin College achieved the title for the seventh straight year by meeting Tree Campus USA’s five standards, which include maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance, and student service-learning project. Currently there are 364 campuses across the United States with this recognition.
“Calvin’s Tree Campus USA designation shows the importance we place on not only the care and management of our existing trees, but also on campus involvement in planting new ones,” said Bob Speelman, Calvin’s landscape operations supervisor and a certified arborist. “Campus trees play a key role in making this an attractive, sustainable, and enjoyable place to live, work, and visit. I am pleased that our role as stewards of the campus urban forest has been recognized once again.”
The Arbor Day Foundation is a million-member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. The organization has helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities invested more than $51 million in campus forest management last year.
Jose Medel-Reyes reads a letter from his Kelloggsville High School pen pal. The letters shared about a time when the writer used courage or grit. (School News Network)
Martellis Forest concentrated intently on the paper before him. The North Godwin Elementary third-grader had just received a handwritten letter from a friend to the south: a Kelloggsville High School 10th-grader named Roman.
Mike Hernandez and Marc Icizanye react to gifts from their pen pals before reading their letters. (School News Network)
“He is an athlete and played lots of sports, but now he only plays basketball,” said Martellis of Roman. “We tell each other what we do and what kind of sports we play. I play basketball exactly like him!”
The two students are pen pals, thanks to a connection between their teachers, Amy Raczynski and Angela Winer. A few months ago, Raczynski, who teaches sophomore English at Kelloggsville High School, reached out to Winer, a former student of Raczynski’s, who now teaches at North Godwin. The two decided to put their students in touch and, so far, the letters have generated a lot of excitement — and a chance to practice the art of written communication.
“They really look forward to receiving those letters,” said Raczynski of her high school students.
Emy Orozco and Camila Vasquez Garcia craft responses to their most recent letter from 10th-grade pen pals. (School News Network)
Special Delivery
Recently, Raczynski’s students sent special gifts for their younger friends: bags filled with stuffed animals, stickers and small toys. The delivery was met with squeals of delight throughout Winer’s classroom.
“The funny thing is, they were just as excited when they got their first letter,” said Winer. “They are so excited to have a friend who is older.”
Aleannah Rohrbough was all smiles as she pulled a plush toy from her bag.
“It’s amazing. I thank her so much! She did not have to do this,” said Aleannah of her pen pal, Holly, who is becoming somewhat of a mentor through her letters.
“I learned that her favorite color is green and I actually learned some good advice: ‘Do not let others put you down,’” said Aleannah. “That was actually really good advice for me, because that actually happens to me a lot in school. And I learned that she loves science and she loves hanging out with her friends.”
Allison Moore and Camilla Casado, 10th-graders in Raczynski’s class, both said they remember thinking it was pretty cool to talk to teenagers or have a pen pal in their younger years. They enjoy reading letters from their younger friends, and are glad to be that older connection for them.
“They may not remember who you were particularly, but they’ll remember they had that older friend as a pen pal,” said Allison.
Nataly Garcia-Jimenez concentrates on the letter she received from her 10th-grade pen pal. (School News Network)
A Lesson in a Letter
Besides the fun aspect of making a friend, there have been some good lessons for both classrooms.
Winer’s students had been discussing the importance of “grit” and “courage”, so she asked the 10th-graders to share an example of a time when they used these traits in their letters.
“So when we respond back,” Winer told her class, “I want you to also share an example of when you used grit or courage. You’re also going to answer any questions that they asked you.”
They repeated after her as she instructed them in formatting their responses: Two paragraphs. Two paragraphs. Two chunks. Two chunks. Answer questions. Answer questions. Share a story. Share a story.
Raczynski said pen pal letters go hand-in-hand with teaching both English and empathy. “They’re writing and having to make sure they’re writing correctly and using proper spelling and grammar for the other kids,” she said. “I think it’s also important to try to be kind to other people.”
Composing letters to younger friends has been a welcome challenge, said 10th-grader Evren Hodge.
“It’s different when you talk to little kids,” said Evren. You have to think of new ways to explain things and use words on a level that they can grasp and relate to. It’s teaching you new ways to communicate with other people.”
For more local school stories, visit School News Network website, schoolnewsnetwork.org.
Asantae Coleman and Aleannah Rohrbough pull goodies from presents sent by their 10th-grade pen pals.
Aniyah Rosemond opens a special delivery from her Kelloggsville High School pen pal.
Isaac Fox checks out the stickers sent along with a letter from his high school pen pal.
Ethan Thompson reads a letter from his pen pal. The letter shared about a time when the writer used courage or grit.
A pen pal letter from Kelloggsville High School 10th-grader to Ethan Thompson
Sleep pills can produce daytime drowsiness that leads to accidents and other harmful outcomes. This has prompted the FDA to issue new warnings on the drugs. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
Many Americans use prescription sleep meds such as Ambien, Lunesta and Sonata to get good shut-eye.
But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has slapped a tough new warning label on this class of drugs, due to dangers from daytime drowsiness the day after their use.
The move was spurred by 66 cases in which patients engaged in what are called “complex sleep behaviors” after taking the insomnia medications.
In 20 cases, behaviors ended up being fatal.
Causes of death ranged from carbon monoxide poisoning, drowning, falls, hypothermia or motor vehicle collisions (with the patient driving), and apparent suicide, the FDA said.
Forty-six other reports involved serious but nonfatal injuries among people who took prescription sleep meds and then engaged in sleepwalking, sleep driving and other activities while not fully awake, the agency said in a statement.
While no one was killed in those reports, injuries included accidental overdoses, falls, burns, near-drowning, exposure to extreme cold temperatures resulting in limb loss or near death, self-injuries such as gunshot wounds and even apparent suicide attempts.
As a result, the FDA is ordering new boxed warnings—the most prominent type of label warning—on eszopiclone (Lunesta), zaleplon (Sonata) and zolpidem (Ambien, Ambien CR, Edluar, Intermezzo and Zolpimist).
“This warning is likely to affect a lot of people, as millions take hypnotics—sleep aids—at least occasionally,” said Dr. Steven Feinsilver, who directs the Center for Sleep Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
Another expert said the warning was needed.
“These type of medications are well-known to trigger these (dangerous) events,” said Dr. Thomas Kilkenny, who directs sleep medicine at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City. “In a susceptible person there could be no control over what happens once the patient goes to sleep.”
In addition to the boxed warning, the FDA is requiring the addition of a “contraindication”—advice to not use these medicines for patients who have displayed complex sleep behaviors after taking them.
“We recognize that millions of Americans suffer from insomnia and rely on these drugs to help them sleep better at night,” FDA Acting Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless said in an agency news release.
However, “while these incidents are rare, they are serious and it’s important that patients and health care professionals are aware of the risk,” he added.
“These incidents can occur after the first dose of these sleep medicines or after a longer period of treatment, and can occur in patients without any history of these behaviors and even at the lowest recommended doses,” he said.
The association between this class of drugs and complex sleep behaviors has long been included in the labeling of these medications. The new labeling changes should make the warning even more prominent, however, reflecting the risk of serious injury and death, the FDA said.
For now, patients should stop taking these medicines and contact their health care provider immediately if they have engaged in activities while not fully awake or if they do not remember activities they’ve done while taking the medication.
The FDA offered additional advice to people who take sleep aids:
Don’t use the drugs in combination with any other sleep medicine, including non-prescription sleep aids.
Avoid alcohol before or while taking these medicines, due to raised odds for side effects.
If you still feel drowsy after waking, be aware that any insomnia medicine can lower alertness and interfere with driving or other complex tasks.
For his part, Feinsilver said the effectiveness of prescription sleep aids is “overrated” anyway.
Instead, he said, “most patients with chronic insomnia should be treated behaviorally. There often is no quick fix with sleeping pills.”
In the meantime, Kilkenny believes that with the new warning, “physicians hopefully will take greater care in prescribing these medications to patients and also take more care in following up after the prescriptions are written.”
Less than 10 minutes a day of brisk walking can help prevent disability in people with arthritis pain in their knee, hip, ankle or foot, researchers report.
Just one hour a week of brisk physical activity “is less than 10 minutes a day for people to maintain their independence. It’s very doable,” said lead study author Dorothy Dunlop. She’s a professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
“This minimum threshold may motivate inactive older adults to begin their path toward a physically active lifestyle with the wide range of health benefits promoted by physical activity,” Dunlop added in a university news release.
She and her team analyzed four years of data from more than 1,500 older adults in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Ohio, and Pawtucket, R.I., who had pain, aching or stiffness in their lower joints from osteoarthritis but were initially free of disability.
The participants’ levels of physical activity were monitored using a wearable device.
An hour a week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity reduced their risk of disability, the study found.
Specifically, the activity reduced the risk of walking too slowly to safely cross a street by 85 percent. It reduced their risk of not being able to do daily living activities—for example, morning routine tasks such as walking across a room, bathing and dressing—by nearly 45 percent.
By the end of the four years, 24 percent of participants who did not get a weekly hour of brisk physical activity were walking too slowly to safely cross the street and 23 percent had difficulty performing their morning routines, according to the study.
About 14 million older Americans have symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, the most common type of osteoarthritis. About 2 in 5 people with osteoarthritis—most of whom have it in their lower joints—develop disability.
Federal guidelines recommend low-impact physical activity for older adults with arthritis and recommend that older adults do at least 2.5 hours a week of moderate-intensity activity.
But that amount of activity can be too much for inactive older adults with lower extremity pain, according to Dunlop.
“We hope this new public health finding will motivate an intermediate physical activity goal,” she said. “One hour a week is a stepping stone for people who are currently inactive. People can start to work toward that.”
The study was published recently in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer’s means patients and families can plan for the future, including safety, care, legal and financial issues. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
Brain scans can improve diagnosis and management of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study claims.
“The good news is that there are no side effects from any of these recommendations,” said Dr. Thoits, the division chief of neurology with Spectrum Health Medical Group.
Researchers assessed the use of PET scans to identify Alzheimer’s-related amyloid plaques in the brain. The study included more than 11,000 Medicare beneficiaries with mild thinking impairment or dementia of uncertain cause.
This scanning technique changed the diagnosis of the cause of mental impairment in more than one-third of the participants in the study.
The brain scan results also changed management—including the use of medications and counseling—in nearly two-thirds of cases, according to the study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“These results present highly credible, large-scale evidence that amyloid PET imaging can be a powerful tool to improve the accuracy of Alzheimer’s diagnosis and lead to better medical management, especially in difficult-to-diagnose cases,” said study co-author Maria Carrillo, chief science officer of the Alzheimer’s Association.
“It is important that amyloid PET imaging be more broadly accessible to those who need it,” she added in an association news release.
Funding for the study came from Avid Radiopharmaceuticals Inc., General Electric Healthcare and Life Molecular Imaging.
“We are impressed by the magnitude of these results, which make it clear that amyloid PET imaging can have a major impact on how we diagnose and care for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of cognitive decline,” said lead author Dr. Gil Rabinovici. He’s a professor of neurology at the Memory and Aging Center at the University of California, San Francisco.
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but early diagnosis means that patients can receive treatment to manage symptoms and be directed to clinical trials for new drugs.
Early diagnosis also means that patients and families can plan for the future, including safety, care, legal and financial issues, and access resources and support programs, the researchers said.
In this study, the PET scans revealed that about one-third of patients previously diagnosed with Alzheimer’s had no significant amyloid buildup and their Alzheimer’s diagnosis was reversed.
But in nearly half of patients not previously diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the PET scans revealed significant amyloid plaque buildup, resulting in a new diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.
One-third of the study participants who had previously been referred to Alzheimer’s clinical trials showed no sign of amyloid buildup based on PET scans. Based on those results, doctors were able to ensure that nearly all (93%) of patients referred to Alzheimer’s trials were amyloid-positive, which is critical to these trials’ success.
“Accurate diagnoses are critical to ensure patients are receiving the most appropriate treatments. In particular, Alzheimer’s medications can worsen cognitive decline in people with other brain diseases,” Rabinovici said.
“But perhaps more fundamentally, people who come into the clinic with concerns about memory problems want answers. An early, definitive diagnosis may allow individuals to be part of planning for the next phase of their lives and to make decisions that otherwise would eventually need to be made by others,” he said.
Summer is fast approaching which for most area residents means lots of fun in and on the water.
But before Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start date of summer, rolls in, there is National Safe Boating Week, May 18 – 24. Purposefully scheduled just prior to the big weekend, boaters are encouraged to arrange for a through inspection of their boat prior to taking it out on the water for the boating season.
To help boaters prepare, WKTV will be airing the United States Power Squadrons National Safe Boating Test Wednesday, May 22, at 4 p.m.; Friday, May 24, at noon; and Saturday, May 25, at 5 p.m.
It is estimated that there are 80 million recreational boaters n America engaged in all sorts of activities from paddling to cruising, from fishing to sailing. Yet many states do not require certification of any kind to operate a recreational boat. In the state of Michigan, if you were born on or before July 1, 1996, you do not need any certification. A person born on June 30, 1996 or after does. For more on the boating safety certificate, visit the Department of Natural Resources website.
Even if you don’t need a certificate, it is always good to brush up on your boating safety. Through the USPS National Safe Boating Test, you can test your boating knowledge. The program features 27 questions on a wide range of boating topics including Homeland Security, Rules of the Road, Aids to Navigation, Carbon Monoxide, and Small Boat Safety. There are real life scenarios and viewers will be able to answer questions about what to do in those situations.
According to the latest report from the U.S. Coast Guard, the number of recreational boating accidents in the state increased from 92 in 2013 to 125 in 2016 and deaths increased from 21 in 2012 to 38 in 2016. An increase in boating accidents has been credited to the rise in paddle sport vessels with there being more than 600,000 such vessels in the state, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Being aware of your surroundings and speed are two key factors in boating safety. The National Safe Boating Council promotes that anyone on the water should wear a life jacket. On its website, it showcases the various life jackets available for all types of water activities from paddling to recreational boating.
The United State Power Squadrons, which along with the U.S. Coast Guard, produced the USPS National Safe Boating Test video, offers boating courses and other public courses and seminar to help make boating a safer and more enjoyable activity. USPS was organized in 1914, and has grown to become America’s largest boating education organization with about 50,000 volunteer members in more than 450 local squadrons. For more information, call 888-FOR-USPS or visit www.usps.org.
Wyoming High School students gather for the spring Alpha Wolf 11 Champions of Character awards. (WKTV)
Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember you have within you the strength, patience, and the passion to reach for the stars and change the world.
Harriet Tubman
Junior Dale Cross III
Wyoming High School sophomore Lisa Cross admitted to friends that it was hard to announce the juniors selected as recipients of this year’s spring Alpha Wolf 11 Champions of Character Award. It was hard because, one of them was her brother, Dale Cross III.
“I kept trying not to look at him, but I think he knew,” she said.
As one Alpha Wolf student admitted, you never really know until your name is announced.
Started in 2014, every fall and spring semester, the Wyoming High School students and staff honor six exemplary students with the Alpha Wolf 11 Champion of Character Award — two sophomores, two juniors and two seniors. These students are recognized not for their academic or athletic achievements but for treating others by “being kind, compassionate, and gracious.”
Along with students and staff, special guests included members of the Wyoming community, City of Wyoming officials, public safety leaders, school district administration and members of the Wyoming Board of Education.
“It is always fun to do this and to have this great time together as a community,” said Principal Nate Robrahan. “I think we need to remember that we are a community and we are only better because we are together in what is our community of Wyoming High School, and you guys know enough that I am always so proud to be the principal of this community.”
The fun for many is the revealing of those who will receive the Alpha Wolf 11 Champion of Character Award. Often, the recipients are just as stumped as the students, looking around to see who will be receiving it before realizing that it is him or her.
Sophomore Alpha Wolf 11 Recipients
Sophomore Rohim Mohammod
When Rohim Mohammod came to the school he struggled to speak English, even through he knew three other languages. That struggle has lead him to “pay it forward” by helping others who face the same challenge.
“He is one of these kids who is always trying to make a difference,” said teacher John Doyle who along with a group of students presented the awards. Mohammod has gone beyond just Wyoming High School, but helps immigrants from his country along with discussing human rights and the plight of refugees.
Sophomore Cameron Simon
Cameron Simon is the defintation of “kind, compassionate, and gracious” and is just simply meant to be the next Alpha Wolf, according to the presentators. Sometimes called the class clown, Simon is always willing to give extra support to anyone who needs it. He has participated on the football, basketball, and track teams.
Doyle said Simon never judges and has gone on to volunteer in his community.
Junior Alpha Wolf 11 Recipients
Junior Thomas Bushman
Everyone likes and appreciates someone who makes them feel good about themselves, which is the kind person Thomas Bushman is. He is described as a kindhearted person who greets everyone with a smile and asks them how they are doing, Doyle said. Bushman is polite, outgoing and “ridiculously” nice.
“He is a fantastic leader by example and a true inspiration,” Doyle said with other presenters adding that Bushman continually works to learn and improve for the success of everyone.
“There is a reason this person has a third after his name,” said Lisa Cross of her brother Dale. “You see those named the third are said to have meaning of positive affirmation. They bring the confidence you need in yourself to have in your purpose and your desires. The third represents the mind, body, and spirit. I believe this person, who carries the last name of third, is an essential eleven leader in our school and our community.”
Another student who leads by example, Doyle said of Dale Cross III adding that Dale works hard to make his community better. Lisa Cross noted that because of Dale’s positive mentorship, he already has been selected as a team captain for next year.
Senior Alpha Wolf 11 Recipients
Senior Rayne Vieau-Parfait receives congratulation hugs from friends. (WKTV)
Perhaps no one was more surprised at being named Alpha Wolf 11 recipients than the two seniors.
Rayne Vieau-Parfait is known for her compassion but is content, according to presentators, at being the person behind the scenes. As one presentator put it “she is an excellent listener and when her big round eyes look at you through her glasses, it feels like she can see into your soul.”
Doyle went on to say that Vieau-Parfait is known for being “an easy and interesting person to talk to and she laughs at everything as she has a great sense of humor. She is happy, inquisitive, and very interested in others. She is an excellent example of genuine kindness. Her curiosity is one of her best qualities.”
Avery Robinson III accepts the Alpha Wolf award from Principal Nate Robrahan. (WKTV)
Avery Robinson III started off the ceremony as the student guest speaker and he concluded the event by being named an Alpha Wolf. According to presenters, Robinson is known for giving a voice to everyone.
“There couldn’t be a more perfect theme then student voice, be brave for our last Alpha Wolf recipient today. This Alpha Wolf exhibits bravery in all aspects of their life,” the student presenters said.
Doyle added “He is the hand that will always reach to pick you up when you fall. He is the level headedness you need in times of person turmoil. He’s that brave voice who speaks up for those in the need of advocacy and the kind heart when its compassion, kindness and understanding that you seek.”
Alpha Wolf Teacher Recipient
Teacher Steve Zajac
Receiving the teacher award was math teacher and wrestling coach Steve Zajac. Receiving honorary Alpha Wolf 11 awards were the high school cafeteria staff, who all received aprons with the Alpha Wolf 11 logo.
“When I see what is going in this school, the support and character that is being built right in our community, this is the most amazing place to be,” said Mayor Jack Poll. “So I encourage you as you go on, because some of you will go on to other schools, some of you are going into the workforce, some of you are going to go on to college, remember those words, ‘be kind, be compassionate, and be gracious’ whether you are at your job, someday when you have your own individual families, whatever community you are involved in.
If you keep those things in mind, your life will be better and the community you live in will be better.”
The Wyoming High School cafeteria team with their new Alpha Wolf aprons. (WKTV)
Action Wake Park, in partnership with Liquid Force, will host the third annual Liquid Force Field Day Saturday, June 1. This event will provide an opportunity for the public to try Action Wake Park completely free of cost.
“Last years Liquid Force Field day was an absolute success,” said Action Wake Park Owner Jerry Brouwer. “The day provides the water sports experience without the barrier of a boat for free and we couldn’t be more excited for the community to enjoy it.”
Liquid Force Field Day is from 12-8pm. The day will consist of:
● Free day passes ● Free rentals ● Free 2019 wakeboard demo gear provided by Liquid Force ● Professional world champion athletes Harley Clifford Meagan Ethell ● Free energy drinks provided by Red Bull ● Wakeboard big air contest from 5-6pm
Action Wake Park is Michigan’s first and only full-size cable wakeboard facility. Entering into its four season, the park aims to help the community learn water sports in a controlled environment without the barrier of a boat. The park features a fully stocked water sports proshop, concessions, and a large patio for viewing.
Summer at the Muskegon Museum of Art starts in May and celebrates Pop Culture and Rock ‘n’ Roll, along with displays from the permanent collection and paintings by first-ever Bennett Prize finalists. An array of special programs accompany the gallery shows.
Pop
Replay: The Exhibition celebrates American Pop and Geek culture through a variety of media, including large-scale LEGO® brick sculptures. The galleries housing the colorful show have been newly refinished with walls resembling giant LEGO bricks to make a backdrop for artwork that explores how iconic cartoons, video games, movies, and comic heroes and villains influence our culture. Kids of all ages can enjoy racing LEGO brick cars on a downhill racecourse, draw self-portraits on a mirror, practice figure drawing with wooden models, and build their own plastic brick creations. A $5 admission upgrade will be applied for entrance to the Replay exhibition galleries. Replay opened on May 9 and will run through Aug. 18, 2019.
Rock ‘n’ Roll
Photo credit: Paul Jendrasiak
Lights, Camera, Rock ‘n’ Roll: Music Photography by Paul Jendrasiak spans the career of the veteran Michigan concert photographer. Stunning front-row photographs of rock stars performing at venues throughout the state over the past two decades will bring back memories for many viewers. The exhibition runs May 23 through Sept. 1, 2019.
Programs
Paul Jendrasiak will be at the MMA to talk about his work and experiences at the opening of the show on May 23.
A Rock Star Super Saturday family program on Aug. 10 will give budding artists a chance to create their own limelight-worthy artwork.
Guitar with Wings: The Photography of Laurence Juber features photographs by Juber from his 2014 book Guitar with Wings, which showcases the intimate photographs he took of the McCartneys during his days with Wings. The exhibition runs May 16 through September 1, 2019.
Photo credit: Laurence Juber
Laurence Juber in Concert: “A Master” – Pete Townshend (The Who) Laurence Juber will perform in concert at the MMA on June 14. $25 Advance Tickets are available at the MMA by phone at 231.720.2580 or online HERE. Tickets will be $30 at the door.
Juber was lead guitarist in Paul McCarney’s band Wings and has since established himself as a world-renowned musician, winning two Grammys. He fuses folk, jazz, and pop to create a multifaceted performance.
Ticket includes a 5:30 pm pre-concert reception.
The Bennett Prize
Margaret Bowland, Detail of White Fives, 2012. Oil on linen, 84 x 70 in.
Rising Voices: The Bennett Prize for Women Figurative Realist Painters opened May 2 with an announcement of the first-ever $50,000 prize winner, Aneka Ingold of Tampa, FL. Twenty-nine paintings by the winner and the other nine finalists from across the country comprise the show. The works exemplify universal issues as well as stories specific to the artists. The finalists were chosen from a field of over 600 entries. The Bennett Prize exhibition project and accompanying show catalogue were organized by the MMA, The Pittsburgh Foundation, and Steven Bennett and Dr. Elaine Melotti Schmidt—avid collectors of and advocates for women artists painting in the figurative realist style. Special films, a figure drawing workshop, and an original theatrical performance will accompany the exhibition. Rising Voices runs through Sept. 8, 2019.
The Muskegon Museum of Art is located at 296 W. Webster Ave. in downtown Muskegon. The Museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays and closed Mondays. Parking is free and bus parking is available. Go to www.muskegonartmuseum.org for up-to-date visitor information, including gallery and store hours.
The Barn Theatre, Michigan’s oldest professional summer theatre, under the artistic leadership of Brendan Ragotzy, is thrilled to announce the 73rd season of plays and musicals to be presented at the landmark theatre.
The Barn Theatre School for Advanced Theatre Training, which continues to operate as a nonprofit entity, is excited to continue to provide southwest Michigan with professional, high- quality theatre while also expanding educational youth outreach and training programs. The very popular program, Backstage Xperience*, will be offered once again this season, as well as select ASL performances!
Barn Producer Brendan Ragotzy and wife Penelope Alex are excited to continue to offer nightly dinners this season and hope you’ll once again take advantage of the improved seating, ticket options, and online ticketing system.
The Box Office opens May 20, for online ticket sales, in-person sales and purchase via phone.
New this season:
Season ticket booklets will be available online as virtual tickets.
Renovations throughout the season, including new bathrooms near the Rehearsal Shed, Barn structure updates, the addition of a kitchen in the Rehearsal Shed and this fall, a full remodel of the Rehearsal Shed itself.
SPECIAL EVENT! Our Annual Gala: A Celebration in Song, June 1, 2019 Join us as we kick off the 73rd season with an unforgettable evening of music and memories! Barnies will take you behind the scenes in song and stories and give you a preview of the upcoming season. This special event is $50 per person. Reception and silent auction to follow the performance.
Disaster! — June 4-9 — ONE WEEK ONLY! Back by Popular Demand! Earthquakes, tidal waves, infernos and the unforgettable songs of the ’70s take center stage in this side-splitting homage to classic disaster films. Rated PG-13.
Love, Lies and the Doctor’s Dilemma — June 11-16 — ONE WEEK ONLY! One little white lie leads to another in this hilarious farce that comes complete with a former movie star, a mobster hit man, a walking-accident neighbor, and a gardener inexplicably masquerading as a psychiatrist Will everyone survive the mayhem?
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee — June 18-30 In this wildly funny, fast-paced musical, an eclectic group of mid-pubescents vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime while candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives. A riotous ride, complete with audience participation, this bee is a delightful den of comedic genius. Rated PG-13.
Sweeney Todd — Starring Robert Newman and Penelope Alex — July 2-14 The dark, witty and Tony Award-winning musical tale of love, murder and revenge set against the backdrop of 19th century London. Rated R.
Big the Musical — July 16-28 The classic 1987 motion picture fantasy bursts onto the stage in this unforgettable theatrical experience where a frustrated adolescent magically becomes an adult, discovering that life is not simply child’s play. Rated PG.
Steel Magnolias with Kim Zimmer, Lori Moore, Jennifer Furney — July 30-Aug. 11 Alternately hilarious and touching, this brilliant play exemplifies the female bond and illustrates the beauty of friendship when wading through life’s hardest times.
Mamma Mia — Aug. 13-25 Over sixty million people from around the globe have fallen in love with Mamma Mia! The story-telling magic of ABBA’s timeless hit songs propels this funny, enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship, creating the ultimate feel-good show! Rated PG-13.
Evil Dead: The Musical — Aug. 27-Sept. 1 — ONE WEEK ONLY! Evil Dead The Musical takes all the elements of the cult classic films and combines them for one of the craziest, funniest theatrical experiences of all time. Blood flies. Limbs are dismembered. Demons tell bad jokes… and all to music. It’s a bloody comedy start to finish! Rated R.
The Barn is located on Highway M-96 between Augusta and Galesburg. Performance schedule: Tuesday through Saturday at 8pm and Sundays at 5pm.
If you’re like most women, you have a tough time getting back into a workout routine once you get out of the habit of exercise.
We think we are active enough with weekend activities, yard work and the occasional jog or bike ride. But as we get older, we realize this type of exercise routine isn’t quite enough, and we start to gain a few pounds each year.
Worse still, if we become more relaxed about our diet, the weight gain is even greater.
We might not notice until our clothes are suddenly a little too tight.
This may be the wake-up call we need to get our exercise mojo back.
So where do we begin? Let’s start with the basics of exercise.
Aerobic, strength, stretching
I like to focus on three types of activity: (1) aerobic exercise,
where we get our heart rate up and keep it sustained for a given time;
(2) strength training, to maintain and build muscle; and (3) stretching,
to prevent injury and fatigue.
All three aspects are important to help maintain a healthy and strong body.
All three also play a vital role in helping you fit into the clothes you love.
Strength training is especially important for women as we age, because if we allow muscle mass to be lost, fat moves in between the muscle fibers, leaving muscles weak and flabby. When muscle mass drops, weight gain starts.
Men don’t often have the same issues as women when it comes to weight gain. They tend to keep weight off more easily for many years because they start with more muscle mass and naturally express more testosterone.
Women who keep their muscles toned by doing interval training, weight lifting, resistance training and incline training can keep the weight off more easily as well.
You may be shaking your head and thinking all this exercise sounds way too difficult, but it’s much easier than it sounds.
Choose it
First, make sure whatever type of workout you pick is something you
like to do. For example, I like to swim—I participated on the swim team
in high school. I also like to lift weights, and I learned the proper
way to lift from my roommate in college.
One of my other favorite forms of exercise is yoga. I do it twice a week at home. As you can see, if you find something you enjoy doing, you can make it work. If I’m pressed for time, I lift weights and do yoga without ever leaving my home.
Fortunately, there are many different forms of exercise—you just need to find the right one for you and your lifestyle.
If you don’t like yoga, try a Zumba, body pump, or kickboxing class. Pilates, Tai Chi, or aquafit classes are also good options. Even better, mix it up and try several types of workouts each week.
To help build muscle, add in some weight-lifting exercises either at a gym or in the privacy of your own home if you have some weights.
If you need a little help getting started, check out one of my favorite health books, Body for Life for Women by Pamela Peeke, MD.
You’ll find some simple strength-training workouts for the upper and lower body in the back of the book. Even if you do the book’s lower-body workout two or three times per week, you can maintain—and possibly even increase—muscle mass. I think you’ll find the exercises and the entire book helpful.
Schedule it
In addition to the type of exercise you choose, you also need to
determine a time when you’ll actually do the exercises each day, or at
least several times per week.
I prefer to do my workout at night, when I’m too drained to do other work such as paying bills or writing.
When I have finished helping my kids with their homework and my kitchen is cleaned up after dinner, I head to the exercise bike or yoga mat—usually around 9pm. This allows me to get in a good workout, clean up and head to bed before it gets too late.
This routine works well for me and allows me to de-stress from the day. I know I don’t have time to exercise in the morning, so I don’t plan on it. Many women, however, see morning as the best time to do their workout—they’re then done for the day, and they know there’s no way they would do it at night.
After you’ve chosen an exercise and a time frame, you need to put it on your calendar. You may think you don’t need to schedule your workouts, but it really does help you stick to your plan.
Here’s what I recommend: On Sunday night, plan out your week. Start by listing your priorities: work, kids’ events, appointments, exercise. The rest of your day should be planned around these scheduled priorities.
As I look at each day, I plan a longer workout, such as swimming, when I have more time. On days when I’m pressed for time, I schedule a shorter workout, such as the legs and core session from Dr. Peeke’s book.
There is usually one day each week when I simply have no time to fit in a workout, and that becomes my day off. So when the day comes, I have already planned to take it off—no guilt.
Do it
So what are you waiting for? Create your exercise plan today!
Usually by day five of my routine, I’m feeling so good that I’m choosing to exercise instead of making myself do it.
If you can get into a regular routine, add some strength training, and cut down on your carbohydrates intake—especially after 3 p.m.
In a haze of coding, caffeine, circuits, teamwork, snacks, and sleep deprivation, around 120 students from Calvin and other universities worked for 24 hours straight, developing a wide range of software and hardware computing projects. The students were competing in Calvin’s first “hackathon,” a marathon software and hardware development competition held from February 8-9 by the CalvinHacks student organization.
As the sun set on February 9, a team of Calvin students emerged victorious, their project—PlantBit—scoring first place. A combination of a smartphone application, an arduino board, a Google Home, and a moisture sensor, PlantBit allows its user to remotely turn on and off grow lights for their plants, while also providing data on the moisture of the plant’s soil.
“It was inspired by the massive amount of succulents I keep in my room,” said team member Lauren Ebels, a biology and computer science major. “I have a whole bunch of grow lights for them, but couldn’t set them to be on when they’d help the plants the most.”
Over the course of the 24 hours, the team divided and conquered: Junior Shion Fukuzawa programmed the remote control iPhone app, Seniors David Widjaja, Megan Koh, and Toussaint Cruise set up the hardware and control database, and Ebels connected the Google Home to the control database.
“There’s a sense of accomplishment,” said Fukuzawa, a math major and computer science minor. “At the end you have to submit something no matter what, and the fact that you worked as a team for 24 hours and actually made something is pretty satisfying.”
“CalvinHacks was a really fun event, and was unlike anything I had ever done before” said Caleb Schmurr, a Calvin junior electrical engineering student whose team worked on a project using an e-ink screen to display information from a Google Home.
“I liked getting the chance to spend time working in an environment that encouraged and supported creative uses of technology,” Schmurr added. “We were able to use our programming abilities gained from either coursework at Calvin or other experiences to create a really unique project.”
Among a multitude of other creative submissions, Calvin teams also designed a web-based video game, a sign language video detection user interface, and an app for tracking grocery purchases.
Young Saleem Usmani’s life was forever changed when his Olympian dad invited him along to Los Angeles in 1984. For the curious youngster from India, it wasn’t much of a leap from saying, “Yes, I’ll join you there” to “Sure, I could go to college here.” With that spirit of adventure, Usmani found friendship, love, work, and belonging in his adopted country… in the unlikeliest of places!
Multi-platinum rock band Shinedown has announced new fall tour dates on their 2019 Attention Attention World Tour, produced by Frank Productions, with a stop in Grand Rapids at SMG-managed Van Andel Arena on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019, at 6:15pm. Shinedown has been selling out arenas and receiving rave reviews during their tour, backed by their biggest, most eye-popping production yet.
Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, May 17 at 10am. Tickets will be available at the Van Andel Arena and DeVos Place® box offices and online at Ticketmaster.com. A purchase limit of eight (8) tickets will apply to every order. For all current pricing and availability, visit Ticketmaster.com.
Shinedown’s chart-topping album Attention Attention, out now via Atlantic Records, simultaneously hit #1 on Billboard’s Alternative, Top Rock and Hard Rock Albums Charts, debuted Top 5 on the Billboard 200 and spawned current Top 10 Active Rock hit Monsters, #1 Active Rock hit Devil, and the rousing track The Human Radio, in addition to Get Up.
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet—or few—from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
On Jan. 15, 2019, Dr. Jen received an email from a friend of a former volunteer asking for help for a bedraggled male cat who had been hanging around for about three years. The poor guy’s eyes needed attention, and he had a slight cough or hard time swallowing.
Over the years, the kitty had become friendlier to the point where he sat at the back door crying all night and trying to get in when the door opened. He had scratched and bitten the woman before in an attempt to get in, and then suddenly one day climbed into her lap and let her pet him. He then insisted on being in her lap every time she fed him, going so far as to nuzzle into her coat and let her wrap him up in a blanket to sleep.
It took a few days for us to be able to get this poor guy (born in the summer of 2014) off the streets so that Dr. Jen could see what she could do about those eyes. Considering how haggard and tattered-looking this guy was, it was obvious that he had been through some pretty rough spots in his life, including a fractured or dislocated right rear toe, bronzing of the fur on his forepaws from rubbing his eyes, fleas, a notched ear from fighting, a broken upper canine tooth, contracting a severe feline herpes virus infection that was causing his chronic conjunctivitis AND being infected by Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV).
But, in spite of all of the above, Dr. Jen could clearly see that Chihuly was a diamond in the rough, a precious work of art that had yet to be appreciated.
At the writing of his biography about a month after his arrival, we are happy to report that charming Chihuly is really enjoying indoor life and takes his topical eyes meds like a trouper (he is also on an oral lysine supplement to help with the herpes). We have also learned from our cat care team the following about his likes, dislikes and kitty-quirks:
“Chihuly has a tendency to be a little bit of an attention hog, but once he’s had his fill, he’ll give you a quick swipe of the paw to warn you; I wouldn’t call him aggressive, he just has his personal limits. I’ve never seen him actually start any fights, or intentionally go after another cat, but he will join in on the growling if anything is going down between the others.”
“I have learned that the way to his heart is with endless bowls of canned food — he’s been known to eat four big plates and still follow you around for more. He would eat until he explodes if you let him.”
“He’d do best in a home with adults, and maybe one other cat, but dogs may a bit too much for him. Overall he is incredibly sweet and has gotten much better at not expressing himself by striking out; you can tell the time spent on the streets has made him a bit defensive, but he is learning rather quickly that soaking up the love and attention afforded him is the key to happiness.”
Chihuly will continue to evolve and make positive changes for weeks and months to come, but thus far, we are already impressed by his acclimation into our free-roaming, 50-cat population. He will require long-term medication to keep his eyes comfortable, but overall it is an affordable care plan that he doesn’t mind one bit. Simply stated, if you fill him up with yummy canned food and give him a lap to snooze on, he will be your best friend fur-ever!
More about Chihuly:
Domestic Short Hair
Black & White/Tuxedo
Adult
Male
Large
House-trained
Vaccinations up to date
Neutered
Good in a home with other cats, no children
Want to adopt Chihuly? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
The artist behind the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. and “Ecliptic” in Grand Rapids’ Rosa Parks Circle returns to Grand Rapids this month for an exhibition featuring her large-scale sculpture, “Flow.”
Organized by the Grand Rapids Art Museum in collaboration with Maya Lin Studio and running from May 18 to Sept. 8, the exhibition includes two new works that focus on bodies of water in the Midwest region and illuminate Lin’s dramatic exploration of the natural environment.
“The Grand Rapids Art Museum is thrilled to present the work of acclaimed artist Maya Lin this summer,” said Director and CEO Dana Friis-Hansen. “Lin’s commitment to environmentalism and the creation of stirring public spaces—including ’Ecliptic’ in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids—supports the Museum’s initiative of raising awareness about sustainability and connecting people through art, creativity and design.”
With “Flow,” Lin focuses attention on the crucial role of water, both to our region, and to global survival. Lin has created two new sculptures for the exhibition that focus directly on West Michigan. ”Pin River – Grand River Watershed” (2019) is an installation made of steel pins embedded directly into the wall that forms a sparkling fifteen-foot-long outline of the Grand River Watershed. ”The Traces Left Behind (From the Great Bear Lake to the Great Lakes)”(2019) is a shimmering wall relief cast from recycled silver. In creating the work, Lin charted the span of contemporary bodies of water from the Arctic to the Great Lakes that were formed by the melting of the Laurentide Ice Shelf, which once covered much of the North American continent.
“A lot of my work has been about mapping the natural world and revealing aspects of the environment that you may not be aware of,” said Lin. “The two new works created for this show follow that interest of mine; one traces the complex watershed of the Grand River, the other takes a very recognizable mapping of the Great Lakes but adds the series of large lakes formed during the last ice age—creating a constellation-like flow of water that drifts along an invisible boundary line where the glaciers carved out these bodies of water when they retreated.”
Created in recycled silver, steel pins and common building materials, Lin conceives these sculptures with the use of charting, mapping, and scientific research to determine each work’s ultimate design, layout and structure. Through sculptural shape, scope and scale, Lin expands our awareness of the Great Lakes, the geological forces that created them, and their connection to other bodies of water.
“In her dramatic large-scale sculptures, Maya Lin draws attention to the natural world around us and to the forces that shape our environment,” commented GRAM Chief Curator Ron Platt. “With this exhibition, she creates opportunities for all of us to see the natural landscape in new and different ways, prompting us to consider our relationship and responsibilities to the environment.”
Maya Lin, Blue Lake Pass, 2006. Duraflake particleboard (Courtesy Pace Gallery)
The exhibition also creates connection and dialogue with “Ecliptic,” the public park in Rosa Parks Circle created by Lin that marks its 20th anniversary next year. Water—specifically the nearby Grand River—inspired Lin’s conception of “Ecliptic.” Within the park, Lin featured water in three different forms—liquid, solid and vapor—through the park’s ice rink and amphitheater, mist fountain and table of flowing water. In connection with the exhibition, a selection of interpretive and interactive materials about “Ecliptic” are on view for visitors interested in engaging more with Lin’s creation of the park.
Several informative programs and presentations will be presented at GRAM in conjunction with the exhibition such as an Artist Talk with Lin on Art and Environment Friday at 6 p.m. at the GRAM’s Cook Auditorium. RSVP is required. Cost is $5 for GRAM members and $15 for the public.
Lead support for Maya Lin: Flow is generously provided by Herman Miller Cares, Frey Foundation, Eenhoorn LLC, and Wege Foundation.
For GRAM’s hours and admission fees, call 616.831.1000 or visit artmuseumgr.org.
UPDATE — At approximately 3:40 pm today, Pettra Yahya and her daughter, Faith Martinez, were located at their home. Both of them were safe and uninjured. A citizen who saw the Amber Alert recognized Yahya’s vehicle at Bowen Park in Kentwood, and contacted the police. When the police arrived, witnesses told them that a woman matching the description of Yahya was last seen pushing a stroller towards her home. Police then went to Yahya’s house and made contact with her.
Yahya’s mother took Martinez, and her other three children, home with her. Yahya was taken to a local hospital for a mental evaluation. The Kentwood Detective Bureau and Child Protective Services are continuing to investigate this situation.
Original Press Release: The Kentwood Police Department has issued an Amber Alert for a 4-year-old named Faith Cyndora Martinez.
Faith is a light-skinned, black female. She is approximately three feet tall, and weights about 40 pounds. She has long curly brown hair and brown eyes.
Faith was last seen with her mother, Pettra Aliesha Yahya. Yahya is a 30-year-old, black female. According to police, Yahya has made threats to harm herself and Faith. Yahya is driving a 2005 red Buick Rendezvous. The license plate for the vehicle is EBD 2873.
Anyone who sees these individuals, or vehicle, is asked to call 911 or the Kentwood Police Department at 616-698-6580.
The West Michigan economy is chugging along like it has been for the past 10 years, but evidence is mounting that the pace may be slowing, said Brian G. Long, director of Supply Management Research in Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business.
Long surveyed local business leaders and his findings below are based on data collected during the last two weeks of April.
The survey’s index of business improvement (new orders) remained positive but backtracked to +13 from +17. The production index rose to +11 from +5, and the index of purchases also increased to +16 from +4. The employment index slid from +15 to a 27-month low of +4.
“Although one month can never be construed as a trend, it was disappointing to see our local employment index take such a deep slide,” said Long. “Unemployment is always an economic laggard, resulting in most of our West Michigan counties continuing to post very good unemployment numbers.”
Long said although there are some significant signs that growth is slowing, there is still no sign that the economy is about to slide into a recession.
“We know the world economy is slowing and that will ultimately have at least some impact on our domestic economy,” said Long. “Various industries are starting to grow ‘bubbles’ which we hope will not all break at once.”
The ongoing trade dispute with China could generate a significant slowdown or even a recession if the war drags on, Long said. Most major capital projects are planned and executed over a long-term cycle, such as five years. He said these projects tend to have long and productive supply chains which stimulate growth. He also said some of the benefits of the 2017 tax legislation could be felt for years to come, making the U.S. the cheapest place in the world to do business.
The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.”
The new Metro Health Grandville is located at 4285 Parkway Place. (Supplied)
In its continuing effort to make sure patients have access to quality health care, last week, Metro Health opened its 17th neighborhood physician office providing another convenient location for the community.
“Our neighborhood physician offices offer patients both choice and access when it comes to primarycare,” said Dr. Rakesh Pai, President Medical Group and Chief Population Health Officer, Metro Health – University of Michigan Health. “We have a large patient base that call Grandville home, so we felt it was a natural fit to open our next office in their community.”
Metro Health Grandville, like other Metro Health neighborhood outpatient centers, is a model for care that promotes partnerships between individual patients and their personal physician. The practices are recognized for intensified efforts to coordinate patients’ health care through prevention, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up services.
Located at 4285 Parkway Place SW in Grandville, the office will offer both family practice and OB/GYN services. Dr. Rebecca Werner will serve as the site medical director, seeing patients alongside Lindsey Marchel, NP. In addition, three OB/GYNs, Dr. Renee Elderkin, Dr. Stephanie Getz and Dr. Sue Hicks, will split their time between Metro Health Grandville, Metro Health Village and Metro Health Park East.
Dr. Rebecca Werner will serve will serve as the site medical director. (Supplied)
“We believe the Grandville community will benefit from having access to another primary care and OB/GYN outpatient option where they live,” said Werner. “We’re looking forward to growing the practice and plan to add two Internal Medicine/Pediatric physicians later this year.”
Metro Health Grandville will be open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Same day appointments are available and walk ins are welcome during regular business hours.
Spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula (White) (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae), is a sap-feeding insect native to China and other parts of Southeast Asia. It was first found in the United States in 2014 in Berks County, southeastern Pennsylvania and has been spreading since then. As of May 2019, confirmed observations of spotted lanternfly (SLF) had been recorded in at least 12 additional counties in Pennsylvania and in localized areas of five other states: Delaware, Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland and New York.
This invasive pest can feed on at least 70 species of trees, as well as vines and shrubs, including fruit trees, hops, grapevines and several hardwoods. Spotted lanternfly can be easily spread to new locations when people accidentally transport eggs or other life stages into new areas. Quarantines have been established to prevent further spread of SLF life stages by people moving infested material. Residents or visitors to areas where SLF occurs should be aware of the risks of moving this invasive pest. Check vehicles and any outdoor items for egg masses or other life stages before leaving areas where SLF has been reported.
Spotted lanternfly females can lay their eggs on nearly any surface including vehicles, patio furniture and outdoor equipment, as well as trees. This means SLF can be easily spread over long distances if people move the articles bearing the eggs.
Impacts
Spotted lanternfly feeds by sucking sap from the stems and trunks of a wide variety of plants. At high SLF densities, this feeding can reduce vigor of trees and vines. Dead shoots on some hosts, particularly black walnut trees, have been observed in Pennsylvania.
Spotted lanternfly adults on an apple tree in Pennsylvania. Photo by Erica Smyers, Penn State University.
To feed on plant sap, SLF pierce the bark, creating wounds that can allow plant pathogens to infect trees. Immature and adult SLFs excrete tremendous amounts of sugary honeydew as they feed, which lands on plants around and beneath them. This sticky honeydew attracts other pests, particularly hornets, wasps and ants, causing more annoyance for people in affected areas and complicating crop harvests. Black sooty mold grows on the honeydew, affecting the appearance and potentially the health of herbaceous plants, shrubs and seedlings beneath infested trees. Sooty mold can reduce the amount of light reaching the surface of the leaves, decreasing photosynthesis rates.
Host trees
Tree of heaven, Ailanthus altissima, is a highly preferred and perhaps required host for SLF. Tree of heaven is native to China, but was widely planted in much of the eastern U.S. decades ago for erosion control. It was also planted as an ornamental street tree in many municipalities. Female trees produce abundant seeds and tree of heaven can grow on a variety of soils, including disturbed areas. Tree of heaven is now considered an invasive plant and has spread across much of the United States.
While tree of heaven is a highly preferred host, reports from Pennsylvania indicate SLF can also feed on American beech, basswood, sycamore, big-toothed aspen, black birch, black cherry, black gum, black walnut, assorted dogwoods, Japanese snowbell, maples, oaks, paper birch, pignut hickory, pines, sassafras, serviceberry, slippery elm, tulip tree, white ash and willows. Many of these species are commercially important as ornamental or timber trees. While SLF has not killed any trees in the U.S. to date, continued spread of this invader concerns many foresters and arborists.
Fruit trees and vines
The greatest economic impacts of SLF may result from its ability to feed on many types of crop plants. Tree hosts of SLF include apple, plum, cherry, peach and apricot. High densities of SLF have also been observed on grape vines and on hops vines. Neither the immature nor adult SLFs feed on the fruits themselves, but large numbers of insects feeding on these plants during the harvest season can affect fruit quality. The insects remove significant amounts of sap and the sooty mold can contaminate berries. This can reduce marketable yields, delay fruit ripening and reduce winter tolerance to cold weather.
Effects on humans?
Spotted lanternflies cannot harm humans directly, as they neither bite nor sting, but their presence, outdoors and indoors, can be unpleasant.
Identification and life cycle
Spotted lanternfly completes one generation per year (see figure). Eggs are laid in a mass coated in an off-white or gray substance, which cracks and darkens to a grayish-brown over time. Egg masses resemble a small patch of mud or “seed pods” and can be found on vehicles, tree trunks, boulders and stones, bricks and other outdoor surfaces. Eggs hatch in spring and the small black nymphs with white spots begin feeding. Spotted lanternflies will complete four stages, called instars, as immature nymphs before becoming adults. First, second and third instar nymphs are black with white markings, Fourth instar nymphs are reddish-orange with black and white markings.
The nymphs eventually develop into adults, the only stage with wings. Adult SLF are about an inch long and half an inch wide, with grayish forewings with black spots and red, white and black striped hindwings. A few adults may appear in mid-summer but they are most common in late summer and fall.
After mating, adult females lay eggs, usually beginning in September and continuing through November or even early December. Eggs overwinter until the following April or May, when the first instar nymphs hatch and begin feeding.
Control and management
Preventing or at least slowing the spread of SLF is important to minimize impacts and control costs. When leaving an area where SLF is present, check vehicles and outdoor equipment for egg masses or any other life stages. Do not move nursery trees, firewood, mulch or related materials out of quarantined areas. Keep windows of vehicles rolled up in areas where adult SLFs are active and avoid parking below infested trees.
Egg masses that are accessible can be scraped off and destroyed, eliminating insects that would otherwise hatch and feed. Use a stick, plastic card, putty knife or similar tool to scrape eggs into a container filled with alcohol, hand sanitizer or very soapy water to kill the eggs. Eggs can also be burned in a campfire. Simply mashing eggs is often not entirely effective. Some residents in Pennsylvania have wrapped plastic wrap tightly around tree trunks and then coated it with a sticky substance to capture nymphs as they climb up the trunk to feed on the younger shoots. These sticky bands may be useful if SLF densities are high. Bands will need to be checked and replaced at least every other week.
Other insects and occasionally small birds or even small mammals may be accidentally trapped in the sticky bands. Surrounding the sticky band with wire or mesh can help prevent birds and mammals from being captured.
In Pennsylvania, removing tree of heaven, the preferred host, appears to reduce local abundance of SLF. Cutting down female trees (those producing seeds), or killing the trees with a herbicide containing triclopyr will limit establishment of new trees of heaven.
Adults are about 1 inch long and show little of the red color when wings are closed. Photo by Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org.
Adopting a trap tree approach can be even more effective. Select a male tree of heaven (one that does not produce seeds) and remove or fell other trees of heaven in the vicinity. Treat the remaining “trap tree” with a systemic insecticide product containing dinotefuran as the active ingredient. Systemic insecticides are transported up the trunk and into the canopy and will control SLF nymphs and adults when they try to feed on treated trees. This control method works best June through August. Insecticides can be used on their own to control SLF on other host trees as well. Only use insecticides registered with the EPA and follow all application and personal safety instructions on the label.
Ongoing research on SLF is likely to generate new information every year. Up-to-date information on SLF can be found on websites hosted by Pennsylvania State University, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and USDA APHIS.
What to do if you find a suspected SLF in Michigan
Senior living communities are often built with specific interior design in mind for communal living spaces, but the individual apartments are often a little more plain. If you are decorating a senior living apartment, you’ll probably want to make it more homey and welcoming, as well as make sure that it’s easy to do all the things you need to do. Here are our tips and tricks to creating a beautiful and personal senior living apartment.
Remember functionality
It’s important that your home fits your tastes, but as you age it becomes more and more important to focus on the functionality of items rather than just style. Functionality should be your number one priority throughout the decorating process.
A good example to think about is glass tables. Glass furniture is pretty and fits with a lot of styles and themes, but the cons may outweigh the pros. They require frequent cleaning, and a fall onto a glass table or bump into a sharper edge can be much more devastating than a table made of other materials.
Choose a style
A good way to make your living space cohesive is to have a theme or specific style picked out. Apartments are much smaller than houses,
and if you are moving to a senior living apartment from a house picking
one general theme is going to be easier than finding a different style
for every room. It will also help improve the overall flow of your
apartment. Some themes can include:
Rustic: Think of a log cabin. With rustic decoration you want to bring in natural elements like woods and stone, and keep your colors within earth tones.
Cottage: A very popular style for seniors because of the warmth and coziness inherent to it. Colors like yellow, blue, white, and green are common and there are often antique or vintage furnishings and decorations.
Traditional: Traditional styles often incorporate floral and other patterns in furniture and decorations, and is another way to tastefully incorporate some of your favorite antiques.
Cozy and comfortable
Comfort is another big thing that you will want to keep in mind. Adding touches like warm blankets and softer furnishing can help you improve on functionality while keeping your comfort in mind.
Making sure that your couches and armchairs are cozy and your throw pillows aren’t stiff and scratchy is a good way to keep your home comfortable. Remember to keep thinking about function. A pillow may have a nice pattern on it, but if it isn’t comfortable to use then it becomes more of a annoyance in a small space.
Lighting and Storage
While not always the first thing on anyone’s mind, the practical parts of home decorating are just as important—if not more important—than the furnishings and wall hangings.
Lighting: Lighting is a big part of decorating. It’s important to include plenty of sources of light, especially if your apartment doesn’t have that much natural light. You need to see clearly for your safety, especially at night. Table and floor lamps are a great way to inject more light into your space, but make sure that any cords aren’t going to become a fall hazard.
Storage: Storage is another important thing to keep in mind. To avoid trips in clogged hallways and rooms, having adequate storage for all your belongings is vital. There are a lot of creative storage options like additional storage units for your living, different shelving options, and closet organizations that can help you with storing your belongings. Just remember to keep them all within reach. The last thing you want is to be unable to access your things.
Kitchen and bath
Most slips and falls happen in kitchens and bathrooms, so keep that in mind while decorating. Adding additional handholds is never a bad thing in these rooms. Another tip is to make sure your rugs or carpeting isn’t going to trip you up or slow you down if you are in a wheelchair. Things like soap and liquids should be stored in a way that they won’t spill onto the floor and make things a slippery mess.
Kitchens and bathrooms are also great places to add a pop of color. A brightly colored kitchen or bathroom can be a great way to bring in some fun in spaces that might not traditionally be thought of as fun spaces.
Bedroom
It’s important that your bedroom is the perfect blend of comfort and
functionality. Your bed shouldn’t be difficult to climb into, and should
have the right amount of blankets and pillows. Decorative throw pillows
are great, but the daily task of removing them and then adding them
back on can become more and more difficult as you age.
Instead, consider bringing color and style into the room with your bedding itself. There are an endless supply of bedding and duvets in any color or pattern that you can imagine. Wall hangings and decorations are another great way to include your personal style into your bedroom. Avoid hanging anything over the headboard though, as they can become dangerous if they fall.
Living room
The living room is the room that guests are likely to see most often, so decorating a living space in neutrals with a pop of bright color here and there is often very common.
A living room is a great place to put your personal items—family photographs, personal keepsakes, and collected artworks are all wonderful examples of things that can make an ordinary living space your living space
Moving to a senior living apartment can be a difficult task. It often involves downsizing and getting rid of a lot of items. But there is no reason that decorating your senior living apartment can’t be a fun and creative job. Keep functionality in mind and add your own personal touch, and your senior living apartment can live up to your highest expectations.
