Wyoming and Kentwood students are among the semi-finalists in the Kent District Library and Schuler Books & Music’s Write Michigan Short Story Contest.
More than 600 writers from across the state entered the competition with the field being narrowed down to 10 semi-finalists for each category, adult, teen, youth and Spanish. A panel of celebrity judges in each category will select the Judge’s Choice, who will receive $250, and the Judge’s Choice Runner-up Awards, each receiving $100.
There is also a public voting for the $250 Readers’ Choice Award. Voting runs through Jan. 31 and is at www.writemichigan.org.
The local semi-finalists are: Breanna Harris, a resident of Kentwood who attends Byron Center High School is in the Teen semi-finals for her piece “A Whisper.” In the youth division, Morgan VanDorp, who lives in Kentwood and attends Grand Rapids Christian Middle School, with her piece “Two Bad Ants: First Person Point of View.” From Wyoming is Yareli Paulina Gonzalez Velazquez. who attends San Juan Diego Academy. Velazquez’s piece “Cuando vine a Estados Unidos” is in the Spanish division.
Winners will be announced Feb. 3 and honored at an awards ceremony at 2 p.m. March 18 at KDL’s Service and Meeting Center. Mardi Jo Link, author of the memoirs “Bootstrapper: From Broke to Badass on a Northern Michigan Farm” and “The Drummond Girls: A Story of Fierce Friends Beyond Time and Chance” will be the keynote speaker.
The top five stories in each age category chosen by the celebrity judges as well as the Readers’ Choice winners will be published by Chapbook Press using the Espresso Book Machine. Copies will be available in March 2017.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), a member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, on Jan. 9 met with Elaine Chao, President elect Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of Transportation.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI)
“I appreciated the opportunity to meet with Elaine Chao and discuss a number of transportation issues critical to Michigan and the nation,” Sen. Peters said in a supplied statement. “During our meeting, I was able to raise the importance of connected and automated vehicle technologies as an issue the federal government should continue to focus on in the coming years.
“Under the Obama Administration, the Department of Transportation has made significant progress to help support the development and deployment of these life-savings technologies, and I will be urging the Trump Administration to continue building on the progress that has already been made through efforts like the recent Federal Automated Vehicle Policy and proposed rule for vehicle-to-vehicle communications.”
Sen. Peters also stressed Michigan’s leadership role in the future of transportation technology innovation.
“I also shared information about Michigan’s role as a leader in the future of mobility and discussed the good work already underway in Michigan at test facilities like the University of Michigan’s Mcity and the American Center for Mobility,” he said. “I urged Ms. Chao to follow through on DOT’s current competition to designate national proving grounds to help connected and automated vehicle technologies reach their full potential. I look forward to continuing this discussion and hearing more about her plans for DOT during her confirmation hearing.”
President Obama signs innovation and competitiveness co-sponsored by Sen. Peters
President Barak Obama on Jan 6 signed into law the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, a bipartisan legislative compromise originally introduced by U.S. senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Cory Gardner (R-CO), along with John Thune (R-SD), and Bill Nelson (D-FL).
The first major update to federal research and technology policy to originate in the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee in more than a decade, this legislation maximizes basic research opportunities, reduces administrative burdens for researchers, encourages scientific entrepreneurship, and promotes oversight of taxpayer-funded research.
“Scientific research and innovation are the foundation of a strong economy,” Sen. Peters said. “The American Innovation and Competitiveness Act will help leverage federal investments in basic research, strengthen STEM education to train a skilled workforce and support small and medium sized manufacturers to keep our country internationally competitive.”
The legislation also promotes diversity in STEM fields, incentivizes private-sector innovation, and aims to improve advanced manufacturing and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a public-private partnership to support small and medium-sized manufacturers.
With flags hoisted high and signs declaring “We Are EK” in different languages, nearly 100 district high school students gathered for a photo. It was a proud display of culture for students who accepted the invitation to represent their flag.
“This is one of the chances to express my culture freely,” said Salem Tessema, a junior from Ethiopia.
It was the culminating activity of the school’s inaugural Culture Week, a celebration and chance for students to share their food, flags, clothing and, at a deeper level, dialogue on what home, traditions and current events mean to them.
While flags waved, students, many dressed in sparkling and colorful traditional clothes, mingled and munched on ethnic foods. They represented the countries they are from: Nepal, Burma, China, Thailand, Bosnia, Congo and many more.
Bizuaye Hu and Salem Tessema are dressed for their Ethiopian culture. (Photo courtesy of School News Network.)
“We wanted to increase awareness about what amazing cultures we have at this school,” said Student Council member Allison Biss. “It’s to gather everyone together, embrace culture and put it on display for everyone in the school.”
Organized by a committee of Student Council members who partnered with English language-learner students, the week opened with “What It’s Like to Be in My Shoes,” discussions held over lunch periods for two days. Students, many of whom are immigrants, shared thoughts on topics around diversity such as cultural appropriation, international relationships, religion, gender roles and the U.S. presidential election.
The timing was right following the divisive election. Students at East Kentwood come from 89 countries and represent several religions, said Advanced Teen Leadership and Student Council teacher Mel Trombley.
“After the election, things were really heated here, so we were trying to figure out the best way to do things,” Trombley said. “It was incredible. … I have not been with a group of adults that had discourse like they did. It was very connected and personal. Kids were really geeked to be a part of it. … It’s so empowering to just be able to talk.”
About 89 different cultures are represented at East Kentwood High School. (Photo courtesy of School News Network.)
Teachers discussed diversity issues in classes, students played a “guess-which-country-the-flag-is-from” game in the cafeteria and answered “If there is one thing I want people to know about my culture it is…” to hang in the hallway.
“I learned a lot about how people felt about their own countries, how people were criticized for their culture,” said Student Council member Ana Tran. “I didn’t know they had to go through all those things.”
Added junior Kylie Dunn, also a Student Council member, “We walk around every day with all these people, but we don’t really know about them. … We got to learn about their culture because when you grow up all you know is yours. It was nice to hear other people’s perspectives.”
Trombley hopes Culture Week will become a tradition Student Council can build on each year. “It’s just the perfect example of how beautiful of a microcosm Kentwood is,” he said.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
After conducting an annual rate study and holding a 20-day public comment period, the Grand Rapids City Commission has set the water and sewer rates for 2017.
Because a portion of the Kentwood system is owned and maintained by the City of Grand Rapids (generally east of Breton Avenue), Kentwood residential customers will see some very slight changes in their quarterly water/sewer bills.
“The average residential customer will actually see a very slight overall decrease of 0.21% in their quarterly water/sewer bill for 2017,” said Tim Bradshaw, Director of Engineering & Inspections with the City of Kentwood.
The approximate changes to quarterly billing for the average customer are as follows:
Water: $2.15 (2.59 percent increase)
Sewer: ($2.46) (3.71 percent decrease)
There were no significant upgrades to the system, and Kentwood experienced minor growth via commercial and residential development.
“The main driver for the increase in the water rate is the need for the City of Grand Rapids to maintain a debt service coverage ratio of 1.2 to maintain their AA bonding status,” explained Bradshaw.
On the heels of the announcement that Sears at Woodland Mall is closing, Joseph F. Coradino, CEO of Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) which owns the mall, announced on PREIT’s website “the company has executed a lease with a fashion department store to replace Sears at Woodland Mall, providing a remarkable opportunity to enhance this premier property,”
The statement goes on to say that the company is also finalizing lease documents with two other non-Michigan PREIT properties, Capital City and Magnolia Malls, that also are losing Sears stores.
“The transactions are part of PREIT’s plan to continue upgrading its property following our aggressive portfolio disposition and repositioning program which has created a quality platform that is more compelling to retailers,” Coradino said in the statement.
The company release stated PREIT has reduced the number of Sears and Kmart stores in its portfolio from 27 to 11. A mall in Scranton, Penn., has a DICK’S Sporting Goods, Field & Stream and HomeGoods replacing a former Sears store and in Chester County, Penn., a Whole Foods is under construction to replace a former KMart.
Sears Holding announced today, Jan. 4, the impending closure of 26 Sears stores and 78 KMarts. The only Sears store in Michigan scheduled to close is the one at Woodland Mall. Most recently, the KMart store at Clyde Park and 68th Street along with one on Plainfield Avenue closed at the end of 2016.
The reason for the closures, according to company officials, is financial performance at those locations.
Sears has been a fixture at Woodland Mall since 1968, when the mall opened. Sears, originally Sears Roebuck & Co., was started in 1886 as a mail ordering company and opened retail stores in 1925. It was headquartered at the Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower), the tallest building in Chicago. It is now based in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
KMart, the first opened in 1962 by Detroit-based S.S. Kresge Company, was once a staple in the Michigan retail scene. In 2004, KMart purchased Sears with the corporate name changing to Sears Holdings Corporation. The recent announcement of closures will reduce the number of KMart stores to 28 statewide.
UPDATE: On Wednesday, Jan. 4, Kari Moss was arraigned on a “False Report or Threat of Terrorism” charge at the 62-B District Court in Kentwood. Bound was set at $500,000. Moss is lodged at the Kent County Jail awaiting her preliminary hearing.
A 33-year-old woman is expected to be arraigned on the charge of a false report or threat of terrorism today after making threats at the At-Tawheed Islamic Center located in Kentwood.
According to a report from the Kentwood Police Department, at around 8:46 a.m. Jan. 2, Kentwood Police units responded to a call at the At-Tawheed Islamic Center, located at 3357 East Paris Ave. SE. A woman was outside the center, demanding money from visitors, while claiming she was armed with a weapon. According to police, she was making addition threats against the facility.
Upon arrival, officers made contact with the female and she was taken into custody, according to the report. The Michigan State Police bomb Squad unit assisted with a search of the woman’s belongings and vehicle. According to police, no weapons were located.
The charge of false report or threat of terrorism is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
A body found in the 3100 block of 52nd Street in Kentwood has been identified as the missing person Willie Crawford.
Crawford, who had dementia, went missing form his home in the area of Eastern Avenue and 52nd Street on Dec. 3. Kentwood Police had sought information on Crawford’s whereabouts.
On Jan. 3, according to a police report, the Kentwood Police Department received a call about a body in the a small ravine in 3100 block of 52nd Street. The body was discovered by a person walking on the sidewalk. The body was taken to the Kent County Coroner’s Office.
Today, Jan. 4, an autopsy was performed and the body was identified as Crawford. There was no trauma to the body and the Coroner’s Office has listed his cause of death as exposure.
The Kentwood Police Department ended the release by stating that “our sympathies go out to Mr. Crawford’s family.”
A new exhibit titled, “God’s Handiwork,” by local artist Carole Bradbury opens at the Leep Art Gallery on Jan. 4. The exhibit is at the Postma Center on the Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services campus in Grand Rapids.
Bradbury is inspired by the beautiful landscapes of the Hudson River School artists’ Thomas Hill, Albert Bierdstadt, Edwin Church and Frederic Edwin Church whom left notable legacy of American landscape art.
She attended classes at Scottsdale Art School in Arizona where Bradbury’s instructors were well known floral artist Linda Glover-Gooch and landscape artist Ralph Oberg. While living in Arizona, she also enjoyed the soft hues of the desert and was mentored with six others by California artist Don Newhouse. He encouraged her to switch from acrylics to oils to get richer colors.
In her art, Bradbury hopes the viewers can feel the peace of the quiet rivers, the grandeur of our Great Lakes and wonderful waterfalls. Her passion is to capture some of God’s handiwork in the great outdoors and his delicate design in our flowers.
She was a member of the Wickenburg Arizona Art Club where members received monthly classes with accomplished artists, and was a member of the Arizona Women’s Plein Aire Group. Two Metropolitan Opera singers have two of her painting in their collection. Her art pieces have been sold in the Caribbean, Arizona, Virginia and in the Michigan cities of St. Joseph, Grand Rapids and Rockford.
Bradbury and her husband, who live in Comstock Park, have 16 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The exhibit will be on display at Pine Rest Postma Center located at 300 68th St. SE, from Jan. 4 – Mar. 22. The Leep Art Gallery is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information, call 616-222-4530 or go to www.pinerest.org/events.
The Kentwood Police Department is continuing its search for resident Willie Donald Crawford, who was first reported missing in early December.
Crawford, 81, was last seen Dec. 3 near his home on 52nd Street and Eastern Avenue in Kentwood. Citizens have reported seeing him in the area of Division Avenue/Cherry Street and also in the Grandville Avenue/Hall Street in Grand Rapids. Crawford’s family reports him as having the beginning stages of dementia. Kentwood Police reported the family is concerned for his safety due to his age.
Crawford is a black male and is approximately 6 feet and 150 pounds. He has a full gray beard, gray/black hair and brown eyes. According to the Kentwood Police, he was last seen wearing a black leather jacket, blue jeans, brown hiking books and a black baseball hat.
Anyone having any information regarding Crawford or his whereabouts is asked to contact the Kentwood Police Department at 616-698-6589 or your local law enforcement organization.
There is a lot of joy during the holidays — and some holiday heartbreaks as well from gifts being stolen to candles turning into fires.
But according to the Kentwood Police Department and the Wyoming Public Safety Department, there are quite a few things you can do to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the holidays without ending up in the emergency room or either of the police departments.
“First and foremost, be aware,” said Kentwood Police’s Capt. Bryan Litwin. “If you are going to a holiday party, don’t post it on social media.
“You post that you are going to a friend’s house for a party and someone you don’t know sees that and decides to go check out your place.”
In fact, many are aware that most people purchase expensive gifts for the holidays — including potential burglars. Always keep your house and garage doors and windows locked. If you are traveling, make sure that your neighbor is aware or have someone check on the house while you are gone. If you live in Kentwood, contact the Kentwood Police Department which offers free vacation check services.
“And be careful positing on social media that you got this great gift for Christmas,” Litwin said. “Even with privacy settings, something can be forward to a friend of a friend of a friend you don’t know.”
While out driving, make sure to stay alert, off the phones, and slow down. “Just don’t be a in rush,” Litwin said. In Michigan, it is a civil infraction to text and drive. Other driving recommendations are keeping at least one car length for each 10 mph of speed between your car and the car ahead and stop sooner than you think.
Candle flames should not exceed the container.
Holiday parties are a lot of fun and it seems like they roll right into each other until suddenly its New Year’s Eve. With all the food, there is drink. There are a lot of options these days for people to find rides to and from places, designated driver, taxi and Uber, which has helped to keep the roads safer, Litwin said. With both Christmas and New Year’s on a weekend, departments like Wyoming and Kentwood will have extra patrols out. “Alcohol does reduce reaction time and with the weather to boot, things can happen,” Litwin said.
During the holidays, there is also an uptick in fires, according to officials from the Wyoming Department of Public Safety Fire Services. The City of Wyoming does have regulations on candles and Christmas trees in public places. At home, fire officials recommend to be aware of your surroundings such as not leaving matches or lighters out for children to find. A few tips:
Candles: Make sure the container is appropriate and the flame does not exceed it. Extinguish candles before leaving a room and make sure flammable items, such as trees, are not nearby. A safe alternative is flameless candles.
Be aware of how many cords you are plugging in.
Fireplace: When emptying the ashes out of a fireplace, make sure to put the ashes in a non-combustable container outside, not in the garage. Often, residents will put the ashes in a bag and set it in their garage not realizing the ashes are still hot and catch their garage on fire, said Wyoming fire service officials.
Trees: If you are using a live tree, make sure to keep it well watered. Ensure that your tree is secured tightly in a stable base and is positioned away from a fireplace or heat source. Make sure cords are plugged in correctly and be aware of the number of extra lights you are adding as it can tax an electrical system.
WKTV asked Wyoming and Kentwood city clerks, and the Kent County elections director to assure local voters their vote counted — and was counted properly.
Kent County’s partial manual recount of the presidential election results identified local examples of a statewide voting system anomaly associated with ballots with straight-party voting and invalid write-in votes, according to the county’s director of elections.
But, Susan deSteiguer said Monday, the vote changes in the county were few and likely would have been a zero-sum gain for the two major party presidential candidates if the recount continued — and the problem will likely not repeat itself, depending on the eventual resolution of a court-delayed change in Michigan’s voting laws which would eliminate straight-party voting.
The key to Michigan voting system, and the reason for confidence in local over results, is in the stand-alone tabulation machines, like the one shown here. (Supplied)
Also Monday, deSteiguer detailed the county-level procedures for verifying the integrity of votes cast in the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood precincts — and as the two city clerks said in a previous now.WKTV.org story, the bottom line is stand-alone voting machines are tested for accuracy prior to the voting and never connected to the internet, “at any time, ever” and voting tabulations are checked and then double checked by various means at various local, county and state levels.
“We have multiple ways of confirming that the totals that were generated in that precinct match what we eventually send up to the (Board of State) Canvassers,” deSteiguer said.
Those “multiple ways” include duplicate paper copies of electronically reported vote totals, reconciliation and verification of vote totals by bi-partisan canvassers at both the county and state levels, and — if necessary — the secured original paper ballots available for recounts. It all begins with local control at a city and township voting level, however.
“We are home rule, which means every city or township clerk is responsible for the election within their city or township,” she said. “I makes it much more complex, but the good side of that it makes it impossible for one or a minimum number of people to manipulate an election. … I have 30 city or township clerks checking my work.”
And when they have a recount, as they started with the presidential election ‘We have a physical ballot to look at, we start with the physical ballot. … and every time we do a physical recount, which we have done before, it proves again and again, that the (voting) machines counted the votes accurately.”
The recent recount of paper ballots, started and stopped in Kent County when about 50 percent of the 313,000 plus total votes cast were checked, did produce an anomaly in the system, however.
The basic problem with vote totals not matching voter numbers across the state identified during the partial recount, deSteiguer said, was that people who chose straight party voting at the beginning of their ballots and then wrote in an invalid write-in candidate for president, would have had their votes electronically counted for their selected political party — and not counted as having not voted for any of the candidates.
An invalid write-in candidate usually occurs, deSteiguer said, when someone writes in a nonperson, or a real person is written in but that candidate did not meet legal requirements to verify their write-in candidacy 10 days prior to the election. In Kent County, there were six presidental candidates on the ballot and seven valid write-in possibilities.
The system of having only valid write-in votes count “prevents us from dealing with what we call ‘nuisance” votes,” deSteiguer said. “We will see things on the ballots such as Jesus Christ, Donald Duck, etc. … and we not not want to waste out time tallying votes for Donald Duck. We only tally valid write-in votes.
“On the presidential ballot, we had voters who wrote in ‘None of the above’ or ‘Are you kidding me?’,” she added.
As for the possibility of the straight-party and invalid write-in anomaly reoccurring?
deSteiguer said if that will depend on the ongoing debate over the change to Michigan’s straight-party voting ability — “How it will be in the future, I don’t know.”
At a recent December workshop, residents along Wing Avenue got a little bit of good news — the city would defer most of the costs for public utilities.
In November, the Kentwood City Commission approved an amendment allowing for a farmhouse exemption with a property owner only having to pay the first 125 feet of frontage for installation of water and sewer. The rest would be deferred if the parcel were split in the future.
“Currently, many of these homes along Wing Avenue were looking at upwards to $90,000 to hook up,” aid Kentwood City Engineer Tim Bradshaw. “It brought the cost of hooking up to sewer and water down to a more reasonable price and made it comparable to having a well or septic.”
It was noted at a Dec. 5 workshop that based on City of Grand Rapids’s current rates, the connection costs for a 125-foot frontage would be about $17,050 for sewer and $15,975 for water. Those costs are only paid upon connection. According to Building Advisor, the cost of installing water and septic can be $20,000 or more.
Another cost concern was that of sidewalk and storm sewer construction. The City Commission also recently amended the city policy to no longer assess for those items if the improvements are included in the final design of Wing Avenue. Residents, however; would be required to maintain the sidewalks running along their property.
Wing Avenue at 60th Street
Bradshaw said at the recent workshop, residents seemed to respond well to the changes since it did reduce some of the cost concerns, however; there are still several other issues residents have including keeping the natural feel and look of the road. Impact on the trees and the natural features lead several residents to petition the city to consider designating Wing Avenue from 52nd Street to 60th Street as a Natural Beauty Road in accordance to the guidelines established by the state legislature in 1995.
Michigan’s Natural Beauty Road Act is designed to identify and preserve certain county-local roads that have unusual or outstanding natural beauty by virtue of native vegetation or the natural features. There are 34 roads in Kent County with the designation, none of which are in Kentwood.
There are several requirements including that the speed be not more than 35 mph. Wing Avenue’s current speed limit — which is determined by a Michigan State Law — is 40 mph.
The designation would not prevent tree removal when necessary for the safety and protection of the traveling public and vehicles, including improvements to the roadway and for public utility construction crossing Wing Avenue. Tree removal would not be allowed for construction of public utility alongside the road.
The Kentwood City Commission will consider the Natural Beauty Road petition at its Feb. 7 meeting. This is after the presentation by the consulting firm Fleis & VandenBrink on its final corridor study which is scheduled for Jan. 17. Fleis & VandenBrink have been tasked to study several items including public utility planning, road construction, and non-motorized needs such as sidewalk, bike lanes, etc.
At the December workshop, the consulting company indicated it would likely recommend the construction of 11-foot lanes striped at 10 feet for safety, better speed control, reduce cost and reduce tree impact over the standard 12-foot width. Also, it was indicated to use the speed of 40 mph to improve sight distances. The firm was still reviewing curb versus ditches and sidewalks/non-motorized trails.
The City Commission is expected to make a final decision on the Wing Avenue plans at its Feb. 21 meeting. Once the final scope has been determined, engineering and design work will begin. Bradshaw said the city has targeted the spring of 2018 to start construction.
The key to Michigan voting system, and the reason for confidence in local over results, is in the stand-alone tabulation machines, like the one shown here. (Supplied)
The national headlines this week are filled with reports and rumors of possible voting machine manipulation — did or did not Russian hackers somehow alter the presidential election? But city clerks in the cities of Kentwood and Wyoming are confident in local voting numbers and want to assure local voters of local voting integrity.
“Wyoming voters can rest assured that every ballot cast has been counted and counted accurately,” Kelli VandenBerg, city clerk for the City of Wyoming. said this week. “We have a number of safeguards in place to assure that voters can have confidence that their ballots are processed properly.”
Kentwood City Clerk Dan Kasunic agreed, and said the bottom line reason is that the State of Michigan uses paper ballots that are tabulated at each precinct using stand-alone tabulation machines, voting machines — and the “tabulators are never connected to the internet.”
“So much of the national controversy has been over other types of ballots or the transmission of results,” VandenBerg said.
Before election day, each precinct’s and county board’s paper ballet tabulators are tested for accuracy — “there is a public test prior to each election, for the public to attend, to prove the accuracy,” Kasunic said.
Voting data cards are sealed in each tabulator by the city clerk before the election. Each seal has a number that is recorded in a paper poll book. The seal number is verified by the precinct workers before the polls open on election day.
“When the polls close at the end of election day, precinct workers print a tape of the results before the card is removed from the tabulator,” VandenBerg said. “The card is then sealed in a transfer bag that comes to (Wyoming) City Hall. That numbered seal is cut and then the data is downloaded and transmitted to the county.”
After votes are tabulated, all ballots are then sealed and stored in a secure location.
“All memory cards are sealed and recorded so they cannot be tampered,” Kasunic said. “The memory cards are complied within the city on a program and then sent by email to the county, and the memory cards are sent to the county. So they have both the tapes from each tabulator and the memory cards”
In addition to the safeguards to protect the electronic data, there are safeguards in place to protect the paper ballots.
“At the end of election day, the paper ballots are removed from the tabulator and sealed in approved ballot containers,” Vandenberg said. “The ballots remain sealed and in the clerk’s custody for the appropriate retention period. In this case the election involved a federal race, so the retention period is 22 months.”
The Grand Rapids Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” returns to DeVos Performance Hall for two weekends — Dec. 9-11 and Dec. 16-18. (Supplied)
By K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org
When the annual run of the Grand Rapids Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” hits the stage Friday, Dec. 9, it will include staring rolls by the company’s professional dancers and, as always, often a stage full of youth dancers.
Again this year, Kentwood sisters Grace and Micah Jones will be among those lending their talents to the production a part of the ballet’s youth dance program — one sister because she sees dance as a possible future career and the other because it is just “so much fun.”
The classic family holiday tradition returns to DeVos Performance Hall for two weekends — Dec. 9-11 and Dec. 16-18 — with four evening shows and four matinees. Live orchestra music is provided by Grand Rapids Symphony, conducted by symphony Associate Conductor John Varineau.
Grace, a 16-year-old junior at Grand River Preparatory High School, has been dancing at Grand Rapids Ballet for 11 years and has been a member of the Junior Company since its inception. This year will be her 8th Nutcracker appearance.
Grace Jones
“I started dancing when I was 2, my parents saw that I loved movement and loved dancing,” Grace said last week, prior to a rehearsal. “My parents saw I needed something to get my energy out so they said ‘Let’s put her into dance.’ I really didn’t get into ballet right away. I was into jazz and tap and hip hop, but at about 5, I went into ballet because I loved the movement.”
She also loved The Nutcracker, thanks to her father, Ronald.
“I remember going to The Nutcracker every year, when I was younger,” she said. “My dad would take me every year, starting at 4 and then every year until I was 8, when I got to be in it for the first time.”
Seven productions later, she is still excited about the annual holiday production.
“I have always loved being in front of the audience,” Grace said. “I love sharing, I love exposing the audience to something new. For me, when I first watched it, it was so beautiful, to watch those beautiful dancers, the beautiful colors and costumes and shapes they make on the stage. I said ‘Wow. I want to do that.’ … Now I want to give some other girl that feeling, the feeling I felt when I was younger.”
According to her mother, Sandra, Grace hopes to dance in college while pursuing professional opportunities. But she sees dance as a means to other career paths as well.
“I love teaching, maybe teaching dance, “ Grace said. “I would love to show others the joy I found in dance.”
One of the people she has shown the love of dance to is her sister.
Micah, age 13 and a 7th grader at Cross Creek Charter Academy, says music is her first love — she has been playing the piano for 8 years, and her mother says she has talked about assisting with her college expenses by playing piano for ballet companies.
Micah Jones
But Micah has been with working with the Grand Rapids Ballet youth program for four years and will be in the Nutcracker for the third year.
“I saw saw my sister, and other people, in dance and it looked so fun,” Micah said, explaining why she wanted to dance. “It is so free, you get to move how you want to move.”
She also said she receives plenty of advice and encouragement from her older sister.
“Since she is such a good dancer, she really helps me when I need help, with technique or how I am supposed to move,” Micah said.
And as far as her first time in front of the usually large crowds watching the Nutcracker, any advice from her older sister?
“She told me not to think of the crowd, just remember your choreography, remember what you are there to do.”
While the two sisters will be dancing different rolls this season, the thing they have in common is an affinity for the famous battle scene. “It is a giant battle scene,” Grace points out, while Micah simply says the scene is “so much fun.”
Anybody who has seen the production knows what they are talking about; those how haven’t have two weekends worth of opportunity.
For more information, call 616-454-4771 or visit grballet.com
Renowned film director, Harold Cronk (“God’s Not Dead,” “God’s Not Dead 2”), teamed up with film students from Compass College of Cinematic Arts to create a music video featuring singer-songwriter Micah Tyler and his chart-topping song, “Never Been a Moment.”
Filming took place at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, in the Streets of Old Grand Rapids located on the main floor and in the former Grand Rapids City Hall clock tower located on the third floor. The video was released earlier this week on FreeCCM.com.
“It was a huge confidence builder receiving the role of production coordinator on a professional music video,” said Stephanie Norton, a Kentwood resident who is a senior at Compass. “I was really excited but at the same time terrified I might screw up. The production coordinator is a big job.
“The production coordinator makes sure everything is running smoothly before, during and after the shoot. I had to book the accommodations. During the shoot, I was in charge of making sure everyone is happy.”
Micah Tyler sings “Never Been a Moment” while filming at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. (Photo courtesy of Compass College of Cinematic Arts.
Cronk currently is in post-production for his next feature film, “God Bless the Broken Road,” which features Tyler’s music. Tyler is well-known for his parody on the millennial generation called “You’ve Gotta Love Millennials,” which was for a Christian leadership conference earlier this year. The video received more than 23.1 million views on social media and almost 2.5 million views on YouTube.
“Micah Tyler was very kind and worked really hard. He kept the energy high and was very down to earth,” Norton said.
Several Compass College interns and alumni have been working on Cronk’s film. When the opportunity arose to create a music video for Tyler, Cronk reached out to Compass College offering interns and students in the music video and sound design courses experience working with professionals.
“Harold is an excellent teacher who continually offers Compass students excellent on-set opportunities,” said Compass College President Keri Lowe. “Even with his success as a filmmaker, he continues to look for ways to serve and give back to his community.”
Compass students worked on many different aspects of the music video project, from scouting locations to camera work, to assistant directing, to sound and editing.
Compass College Senior, Jonathan Clark (right), holds the film slate as Micah Tyler (right) prepares for the next take. (Photo courtesy of Compass College of Cinematic Arts.)
“The most exciting part of the process was the first shot of day. It is exhilarating when you see everyone working hard, but also having fun,” Norton said.
For Compass College senior Paul Rice, the most exciting part of the process was post-production. “I was selected to work as the primary editor for the project,” Rice said. “It has been a great opportunity for me to work on a professional project.”
The music video is scheduled to be released Friday, Dec. 9 on Vevo.com and Tyler’s YouTube channel, MicahTylerVEVO. “God Bless the Broken Road” is expected to hit theatres summer, 2017.
If your route this week requires you to go through the intersection of 44th Street and Breton Avenue, you might want to find an alternative.
For one day only – Wednesday, Dec. 7 – the Kentwood intersection will become a four-way stop while the traffic signal is replaced.
“The City of Grand Rapids was able to put in for a federal grant to fund the replacement work at the intersection,” said Tim Bradshaw, City of Kentwood’s Director of Engineering and Inspections. “Grand Rapids owns about an eighth of the intersection and Kentwood owns about seven-eighths of it.
“Grand Rapids was able to get about 80 percent in federal funding which helps significantly in creating a better, safer intersection.”
The equipment at the intersection was between 25to 30 years old, according Bradshaw. The signal heads and wiring are scheduled to be replaced with work at the intersection having started earlier this week.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the 44th Street and Breton Avenue intersection will be a four-way stop. Commuters passing through that intersection should follow the rules of the road for a four-way stop. Those rules includes yielding to the driver on your right if both vehicles come to the intersection at the same time and yielding to a driver who is at the intersection before you.
“We do expect traffic will get backed up there,” Bradshaw said, adding that the work may be done sooner depending on weather. Weather forecasts are indicating snow in the morning which could slow workers down, Bradshaw said.
The Kentwood Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing endangered person. Willie Donald Crawford was last seen on Dec. 3 near his home at 52nd Street and Eastern Avenue in the City of Kentwood. According to family, Crawford does have the beginning stages of dementia, is partially blind, but is not on any medications. The family is concerned for his safety due to his age.
Crawford is an 81-year-old black male, approximately 6 feet and 150 pounds. He has a full gray beard, gray/black hair and brown eyes. Crawford was last seen wearing a black leather jacket, blue jeans, brown hiking boots and a black baseball hat.
Anyone having any information regarding the whereabouts ofCrawford is being asked to contact the Kentwood Police Department at 616-698-6580, or your local law enforcement organization.
Kentwood residents Micah McDonald and Adam Wright in Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.” (Photo courtesy of Grand Rapids Civic Theatre)
When Kentwood residents Adam Wright and Micah McDonald headed into auditions in early fall, they both had their sights set on Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s children production of “Holes.” Instead, they ended up being dancing dishes and flatware in the company’s presentation of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.”
“This summer, I actually was doing another show [the summer repertory production “Into the Woods”] and everyone was talking about ‘Beauty and the Beast,’” said McDonald, who is a 2016 graduate of East Kentwood High School and is pursuing theater at Grand Rapids Community College. “I knew I wanted to be in another show at Civic and they had double auditions for ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Holes.’ I was thinking ‘Holes,’ but I kind of wanted to be a part of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ because it had been a part of my childhood, and I ended up getting a part.”
Wright said he went into auditions looking for a possible role in “Holes,” but instead landed in “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” along side his friend McDonald, who the two shared the role of the prince in “Into the Woods.” Along with being a wolf, townsperson and dancing dish, Wright again portrays a prince, this time the young, selfish prince who is turned into the Beast.
“It was kind of hard becoming that prince,” said Wright, who is a sophomore at Caledonia High School. “It was difficult in that the young prince is such a nasty person, stern and very hard on people.” A trait that Wright simply does not have.
McDonald is also in the ensemble, portraying a villager along with a gargoyle and a candlestick during the “showstopper —according to both McDonald and Wright —number of “Be My Guest.”
“There is so much going on,” McDonald said of the “Be Out Guest” scene. “It was so hard to learn but it all came together. The scene is extremely entertaining and so much fun and the crowds reaction has been amazing.”
In fact the cast has been overwhelmed by the positive reaction of the audience and community. “In a preview, we had more than 25 seconds of applause,” Wright said.
“We have had sold out shows and the crowds, their reactions, laughing at everything,” McDonald said. “It really has been a good time for everyone. The audience is so engaged and there have been so many little kids helping to bring the magic of the story to life.”
In fact the reaction the Civic Theater production has been so overwhelmingly positive that tickets are limited. Check online, at grct.org for availability.
McDonald, who got the acting bug at East Kentwood High School as a junior when he performed in “Cats” under the directorship of Scott Mellema, said he hopes to pursue Christmas musical theater in New York. But no matter where he goes next, being part of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” will be a special memory for him.
“I partially wanted to be a part of this show because it is a part of my childhood and it gave me the opportunity to relive that part.”
And for Wright as well, the production has been an experience he will not forget. “It truly has been magical being apart of a truly amazing cast and having the opportunity to bring my childhood to life,” Wright said.
Marketing and Communications Direction, Gerald R. Ford International Airport
Nonstop service from the Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) will begin in Grand Rapids in April of next year.
American Airlines announced the service today, which will be operated by American Eagle. The service begins on April 4, 2017 – just in time for Spring Break – and will feature 12 weekly round trips. Tickets already are on sale.
“Nonstop service to Reagan National Airport has been a target market of ours, and we are happy to have this route added for both our leisure and business travelers headed to the Washington, D.C. area,” said Gerald R. Ford International Airport Interim President & CEO Phil Johnson. “We are confident that our West Michigan community will support this service as we continue to expand our route map with American Airlines.”
The flight schedule for the new service includes departure times from Grand Rapids twice daily at 7:20 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. Sunday through Friday, and one daily departure at 9:40 a.m. on Saturdays. Service departing DCA and returning to GRR is twice daily at 10:00 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. Sunday through Friday, with a 4:00 p.m. daily departure time on Saturdays.
American Airlines has served Gerald R. Ford International Airport passengers for more than 25 years, and also has nonstop service to Chicago-O’Hare, Dallas Fort Worth, Charlotte, and Philadelphia.
Get ready to kick off the holiday season with Kentwood Tree Lighting Ceremony, taking place Friday, Dec. 9.
Everyone is invited to attend an evening filled with festive events, which include a Holiday Light Parade, carriage and hay rides, live holiday music and pictures with Santa.
The free event will be held on Friday, Dec. 9 at 6 pm at the Kentwood Public Library, 4950 Breton Ave. SE in Kentwood.
“The holiday event at the Library is quickly becoming a highlight for our community, creating traditions and memories for our kids,” said Mayor Stephen Kepley. “What a great way to begin the season by celebrating peace on earth and good will toward all with your neighbors.”
The night begins at 6 pm with a Holiday Light Parade. The parade will start at the Kentwood Baptist Church at 2875 52nd St. SE and travel north on Breton for about 1/4 mile, then end at Kentwood City Hall at 4900 Breton SE. (More info here.)
At 7 pm, the tree will be lit in front of Kentwood Public Library, along with live holiday music from East Kentwood High School Jazz Band. Guests can shop in the Elves Express Gift Shop from 5-9 pm — and gifts start at just $2.00 each.
Sip some hot chocolate while eating cookies and get a photo with Santa!
Information is available on the City of Kentwood’s website, www.ci.kentwood.mi.us or by calling the Parks and Recreation Department at 616-656-5270. You can also follow the City of Kentwood on Facebook for the most up-to-date information regarding city events.
Santa visits the Gerald R. Ford International Airport
By Tara Hernandez
Gerald R. Ford International Airport
The Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GFIA) is getting into the holiday spirit with a music festival, and a visit from Santa & Mrs. Claus.
Kris Kringle will be listening to children’s requests, and passing out treats with Mrs. Claus in the Airport’s Grand Hall from 1 – 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8. The event is free and the public is welcome to attend. Visitors are encouraged to bring a camera to snap a photo with Santa Claus. Photos with Santa are free of charge, but the airport is asking guests to bring in two non-perishable food items per person.
In addition to Santa’s appearance, GFIA’s traditional Holiday Music Festival is running the week of December 5-9. The 22nd Annual Holiday Music Festival brings in middle and high school choirs from around West Michigan singing a variety of Christmas carols.
Of the 15 choirs performing, several of those are from the Wyoming and Kentwood area. On Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 1:30 p.m. is Legacy Christian 7th and 8th Grade Choir. Wednesday, Dec. 7, the choir from Godfrey-Lee High School performs at 11 a.m. followed by East Kentwood High School Varsity Voices at noon. Thursday, Dec. 8, the Madrigals from South Christian High School perform at 1 p.m. On Saturday, Dec. 9, the Wyoming Junior High Concert Choir performs at 10 a.m. with the choir from the Potter’s House at 2 p.m.
“Our airport is extremely busy around the holidays, but it is important for us to reflect upon what this season is all about,” said GFIA Interim President & CEO Phil Johnson. “We are hoping we can put some smiles on children’s faces as they sit on Santa’s lap and listen to carols, and at the same time we are asking West Michigan to give back to the community by donating non-perishable food items to those in need.”
The donated food items will go to Mel Trotter Ministries – a Grand Rapids organization serving the hungry, homeless and hurting in West Michigan through its shelter, food pantry, and job readiness and housing placement services.
“Life-change can start with a meal. That’s why we are blessed to partner with the Gerald R. Ford International Airport during our Fall Food Drive again this year,” said Dennis Van Kampen, CEO of Mel Trotter Ministries. “Partnerships like this one help make it possible for Mel Trotter Ministries to stock our pantry and serve more than 110 families a week who are seeking emergency food assistance.”
James “Jim” Gill, the new president and CEO of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport
By Tara M. Hernandez
Gerald R. Ford International Airport
The Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority Board announced today that James “Jim” Gill has been hired as its new President & CEO.
Gill, who comes to Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GFIA) from Allegheny County Airport Authority in Pittsburgh, was selected as the finalist for the position by a search committee.
The Airport Authority Board voted unanimously to hire Gill at today’s board meeting.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jim to West Michigan, and we know he will thrive as the next CEO of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport,” said GFIA Board Chairman Roger Morgan. “Jim has a track record of strong leadership, community partnerships, and he is well known and well respected among his peers in the aviation industry. Jim will continue to spark our growth as we invest in customer service, technology and construction projects, and serve as a catalyst for West Michigan’s economic progress.”
Gill is an industry veteran with more than two decades of senior airport management experience. With deep roots in the Pittsburgh area, he has served 13 years of that time at the Allegheny County Airport Authority, whose two airports serve more than 8 million passengers per year. There he has been CFO since 2007, and added the COO position to his duties in 2015. He has also previously served as Interim Executive Director. Gill also spent six years at Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority as Deputy Airport Director & CFO.
Gill is an Accredited Airport Executive with the American Association of Airport Executives and an International Airport Professional through Airports Council International, one of a very select group of airport professionals to hold both credentials.
Gill has many successes in his career including personally overseeing the operation of Pittsburgh International Airport transfer from county control to a new independent airport authority, which was a multi-year, complex process requiring significant operational knowledge and dynamic collaboration with a variety of stakeholders including the FAA which must ultimately approve the transfer. Moreover, while serving in the capacity as Interim Executive Director at Pittsburgh, Gill facilitated an agreement to have Allegiant Air begin point-to-point service there as the airline’s first medium hub, a successful operation which has grown from five destinations in 2014 to eleven destinations today.
“I am delighted to be joining the talented team at GFIA and I look forward to moving forward together,” said Gill. “An airport is so often the first and last impression that travelers have of the community and region, and so one must be committed to delivering outstanding operational performance while exceeding customer service expectations. I know we will continue to have an outstanding record of success in West Michigan, and I am excited to help lead the airport into a new, expansive era while working closely with the Authority Board, airport management, staff, and our community and business partners.”
Among the Airport’s future plans is a current Gateway Transformation Project, which is set to complete Phase One in summer 2017. Additionally, the Airport Viewing Park is set to open in the spring, and GFIA is on pace to break another passenger record for 2016. Airport leadership is also underway in updating the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Master Plan.
“One of the things that attracted me to this job is the excitement surrounding the growth of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport,” said Gill. “I am really looking forward to seeing all of these projects come to fruition, and to be the leader that helps drive even more growth and development in the future.”
The search committee was headed by GFIA Board Member Floyd Wilson, and Board Chairman Roger Morgan. Steven Baldwin & Associates – an Airport Management Consulting firm based out of Albany, New York – assisted in the recruiting process
“Jim has significant business and economic development experience,” said Wilson. “That is a perfect fit for the direction the board has envisioned for the new Authority.”
GFIA, which was named the top airport of its size in the region in 2015 by Airports Council International (ACI), welcomed a record 2.5 million passengers last year.
Gill will officially start work at the airport on January 9, 2017. He replaces Brian Ryks, who resigned in March to accept a position as CEO of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
We hear a lot about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but sandwiched in between is probably the one shopping day that has the most impact on a local economy: Small Business Saturday.
Actually launched by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday is designed to encourage people across the country to support small, local businesses. The reason is simple according to Bob O’Callaghan, president and chief executive officer for the Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce.
“When you shop at a small business you help feed a local family and their tax dollars stay local,” O’Callaghan said.
According to a recent Forbes magazine article, there are 28 million American small businesses, which account for 54 percent of all U.S. sales.
“The backbone of any economy is the local brick and mortar buildings that belong to the small business,” O’Callaghan said, adding that the Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce is made up of 75 percent small and local businesses.
Cheers to the holidays: Cascade Winery
According to Local First of West Michigan, by shifting 10 percent of your spending towards locally owned business helps create up to 1,600 new jobs. The American public appears to be making that shift since according to the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, commissioned by American Express and the National Federation of Independent Businesses, more than 95 million people shopped small business in 2015, which is an 8 percent increase from the 2014 Small Business Saturday. The survey also shows that more than 16 billion was spent at small independent businesses on the 2015 Small Business Saturday.
“Small Business Saturday is a great entry point to start learning about and supporting local businesses,” said LocalFirst Marketing Manager Mieke Stoub. “We hope that the community continues to support our local economy after the holidays and throughout the year.”
On Jan. 5, the new Kent County Commission Board will be sworn in but because of the time, 8:30 a.m., not many of the general public will have the option of attending.
“When you consider the time of the Kent County Commission board meetings, 8:30 in the morning, you realize they really are not that accessible to most people,” said Betsy Melton, who was elected as the new 13th District Commissioner in the November general election.
While she does not know if the time of the meeting has every been discussed, Melton is interested in exploring it as a way of encouraging residents to participate and take an active role with the Kent County Commission.
“It is not very convenient for those who have to be at work in the morning or at home moms who are taking care of their families,” she said. “Then there are the Grand Rapids Community College students who are making their way to their first class and people trying to get to their businesses which does not make it easy to get to a meeting downtown.”
The board meeting time is one of two items Melton hopes to review with the commission as she steps into her new roll as 13th District Kent County commissioner. Melton defeated Republican candidate Jessica Ann Tyson to by 560 votes for the seat which is being vacated by incumbent Richard VanderMolen.
The 13th District covers most of the City of Kentwood except for the western portion of the city from about west of Kalamazoo, which is part of Distrct 12, the area Harold Mast is the commissioner for.
The other item she would like to review is the county’s fund balance, which has averaged around 47 percent, according to Melton. Having been on the Kentwood Public Schools Board of Education, Melton understands the need for having a fund balance but “as many of the dollars as possible were put back into the classrooms.”
Melton said the county has a very high bond rating, AAA, and reducing its fund balance would not impact that rating.
Of course there are other items facing the Kent County Commission including the recent approval of the 911 surcharge and the zoo/museum millage by voters at the November general election.
“It is going to be a little different membership, different tone,” said Mast, who won his bid for reelection this year. Melton is joined by two other Democrats, Robert Womack from District 17 (Grand Rapids) and Phil Skaggs from District 19 (East Grand Rapids) who beat out the Republican incumbent. All the other seats remained the same with there being 13 Republicans and six Democrats on the Kent County Commission.
A welcome home for West Michigan troops and other festivities are on tap for the Thanksgiving holiday, and one of the busiest days of the year at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GFIA).
On Wednesday, Nov. 23, airport volunteers, including therapy dog teams and the Patriot Guard Riders, will participate in “Operation Handshake,” an event to welcome home returning military members and veterans, and to thank them for their service.
Volunteers will staff both airport concourses from 9 am-7 pm, and airport staff will be passing out treats and trinkets to thank passengers for utilizing the airport during the busy time of year.
“We know that not every member of our military can make it home during the holidays, but for those returning to West Michigan we want to make it special and let them know we are thankful for their service,” said GFIA Acting President & CEO Phil Johnson.
“We appreciate the partnership with the Patriot Guard Riders of West Michigan, and their loyalty to serving our community through events like Operation Handshake.”
The event is free and open to the public.
“This is what Thanksgiving is really all about,” said VanGessel, Captain of the Patriot Guard Riders of West Michigan. “What we see each year is an inspiration. We get a thank-you from the military members, but it’s also heartwarming for the general traveling public around us to see what transpires.”
If you have a family member in the military, notify the Patriot Guard Riders of the returning military member’s arrival time and flight information. Please send the info to michigan@patriotguard.org or Tony VanGessel at 616.862.1984.
Please note: The Airport is currently under construction on its Gateway Transformation Project, and along with the busy holiday traffic, lines could be longer than normal. The Airport encourages passengers to arrive at least 90-120 minutes before their flight. TSA also encourages passengers to stay up-to-date on the latest travel notices and information about what you can or cannot bring on your flight by visiting: www.tsa.gov.
Steven Johnson is up front on his conservative values platform as he gets ready to go work in the Michigan House of Representatives for the 72nd District – he stated his conservative values before his convincing Nov. 8 election victory and he restated them this week as he is fully immersing himself in his new job.
Rep. Steve Johnson, far right, on an outing with a youth group. (Supplied)
And he does not think Michigan’s Republican surge, led by the state support for President-elect Donald Trump, had very much to with his win either.
“I don’t think so – I live in a pretty conservative area, so I think I was going to win on my values, that I was going to follow the Constitution and our Judeo-Christian heritage,” Johnson, a Republican, said Thursday.
In the general election last week, Johnson defeated Democrat Steve Shoemaker with nearly 60 percent of the vote in a far-flung district that includes includes the City of Kentwood and Gaines Township in Kent County, and Leighton Township, Wayland Township, Dorr Township and the City of Wayland in Allegan County. The seat was held by Ken Yonker, who vacated due to term limits but was elected to the position of Kent County Drain Commissioner.
Johnson, 25, resides in Wayland Township, is unmarried, and served in the Air Force from 2009-2014. He had been working in construction but now considers himself a full-time representative of his district.
“This is my job now,” Johnson said. “I am preparing for office, familiarizing myself with policy and ready to understand the bills I will be voting on.”
Among the bills he hopes to be voting on are right-to-life bills, something he said should and can happen in the current political climate.
“Absolutely,” he said. “One of our most fundamental rights, as taxpayers, is to protect unborn life. I will absolutely be working on legislation to defund Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers, as well as a life-at-conception act. Life begins at conception.”
Two other issues he will advocate for — or better stated: advocate against — is the federal Common Core education standards and tax breaks to attract business investment. During his campaign, he was critical of tax incentives given to lure Switch to take over the old Steelcase pyramid to create its Supernap data storage center in Gaines Township.
“First of all, Common Core is a federal program, a one size fits all, and it does not work,” Johnson said. “The federal government, the state government, should not be involved in education. That is best handled on the local school district level.
“Teachers and parents should be working together to decide on educational options. Nobody cares more about the job of education than the parents of the students. We need to get the bureaucrats out of the way when it comes to education.”
And as far as government tax breaks, he sees the problem is tax rates as much as breaks.
“Government should not be picking winners and losers, when it comes to businesses,” he said. “We need to have a low tax rate across the board, get the government to get out of the way. … Let the free market work, and whatever business and industry makes sense, locally or for Michigan, they will rise to the top.”
As for his thoughts, now that his election and his new job has sunk in as a reality?
“I’d like to just thank … (the voters) for their support and let them know that I will be leading the fight for following the Constitution and our Judeo-Christian values. That is why I ran.”
Truck believed to be involved with the October theft of a trailer owned by Koleaseco, Inc.
A reward is being offered for information about a 53-foot trailer that was stolen from from MC Sports Warehouse in Kentwood.
Kentwood police suspect the Wabash Reefer Trailer, which belonged to Koleaseco Inc., was stolen on Oct. 22 from the warehouse at 3070 Shaffer Ave. SE. The trailer was labeled with the company name and logo, along with a trailer number of L16030. It also had a Maine registration plate of 201526C.
Authorities have released photos of the vehicle suspected of taking the trailer, which is a blue Freightliner tractor with no visible license plate or decals.
Koleaseco Inc. is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those involved in the theft and the return of the trailer.
Anyone with information is requested to contact Silent Observer at 800-774-2345 or the Kentwood Police Detective Bureau at 616-698-6580.
Local government matters most. Many people don’t realize how decisions at the local level affect members of the community. Here’s your chance to get engaged!
One of the topics of discussion will be the newOvertime Lawthat goes into effectDec. 1, 2016. If you would like to comment or have figured out how much this will cost your company, please come to the Forum and share with us your input.
This meeting is an opportunity for business owners and the community to face our appointed officials and bring to light any issues or concerns they would like to address. You are welcome to be recognized by the moderator — and present your questions at the allotted time.
Bring your top issues and interact with policymakers from
City of Kentwood
City of Wyoming
County of Kent
Michigan House of Representatives
Michigan Senate
This monthly meeting will be televised by Cable Channel 25 WKTV.
Now that voters have overwhelmingly approved the surcharge increase for the 9-1-1 Public Safety Dispatch, supporters and the Kent County Sheriff Department really have their work cut out for them.
“It’s a big project with a lot of work,” said Undersheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young.
Last night, Kent County voters approved the 70-cent increase to the current Kent County surcharge of 45 cents in a three-to-one margin with 205,112 in favor to 74,726 opposed. The 70-cent increase is on top of the existing 45-cent surcharge and is for 20 years. Starting in July 2017, a phone user will pay $1.15 surcharge to Kent County or about $13.80 per year with $8.40 per year going toward the 9-1-1 dispatch.
About half the money raised will go toward the public safety dispatch and a portion will be used to cover costs associated with countywide fire dispatch services.
In preparation of the surcharge possibly passing, LaJoye-Young said the county has been working on a contract with plans to join the Michigan Public Safety Communications System.
Kent County Sheriff Larry Stelma
“This is more than a quick fix. This is an investment in our future, in the safety of our first responders, and the ability to respond quickly and efficiently to residents who call 9-1-1,” Kent County Sheriff Larry Stelma said. “We can now provide communications towers and new radio equipment that will place all Kent County dispatchers and first responders on the Michigan Public Safety Communications System. This will improve our ability to communicate with most of the state’s 9-1-1 call-taking centers, including Michigan State Police, and Ottawa, Allegan, Ionia and Newaygo counties.”
The goal is to have the contract in place by the end of year, LaJoye-Young said, adding the next phase is the project management, which has a two-year window. This is where the real work begins as the county will need to change its frequency, requiring the purchase of communications towers and 800 MHz equipment. There will be some build-out for the power which will include reconstruction and construction of towers depending on whether those towers can hold the new equipment, LaJoye-Young said, adding that it is estimated the entire dispatch project should be completed in three years.
Besides the increase in the surcharge, residents probably will not feel much of an impact on police/fire services or even phone service.
“If they happen to live near a tower, they might see the outward signs of construction but that will be pretty low impact,” LaJoye-Young said. “Ideally, this will be seamless with residents experiencing no drop in service. They won’t realize a change but just the continuity of communication and improved communication for public safety that should increase our efficiency.”
Currently Kent County 9-1-1 dispatch operates on eight different radio systems, which hampers public safety efforts in some situations because emergency responders cannot communicate directly – even if they are working on the same incident. With the new technology, LaJoye-Young said officers involved in a specific situation, such as a traffic accident, or an event like Metro Cruise, will have direct communication abilities while regular calls are maintained on dedicated channels.
“I am delighted to see voters approve the dispatch,” said 12th District Kent County Commissioner Harold Mast, who represents the western portion Kentwood and the eastern portion of Wyoming. “This will definitely help in improving the way law enforcement communicates.”
“Voters in Wyoming and throughout Kent County overwhelmingly demonstrated their supported of the 911 dispatch public safety surcharge,” said Curtis Holt, director of the Kent County Dispatch Authority and Wyoming City Manager. “The increased surcharge will enhance public safety with an upgrade in technology, provide a sustainable countywide fire dispatch funding source and improve communication efficiency to make Wyoming and all of Kent County safer.”
The surcharge is a “user-based” fee directly charging devices that use 9-1-1 service. For every phone device a Kent County resident has — cell phone, air card, home internet with voice IP — the surcharge will be applied. LaJoye-Young recommends that residents look at their phone bill for the current Kent County surcharge of 45 cents to determine what their individual cost will be.
This time of year many may reflect on what they have to be thankful for and for some, this includes a desire to volunteer their time to help others. While older adults are able and welcome to volunteer anywhere, some find it more appealing to volunteer with organizations that cater specifically to older adults. The following agencies either utilize senior volunteers throughout the community or use volunteers to serve older adults specifically.
Friendly Visitor Program – This program pairs volunteers with older adults who feel extremely isolated, lonely or are homebound. Volunteers make weekly social visits with the goal of providing companionship and helping seniors remain mentally and physically active and connected to their community. The Friendly Visitor program accepts volunteers of all ages who want to make a positive impact on the life of a senior. They are partnered with an older adult for flexible one hour weekly visits and are encouraged to commit to at least one year with the program, although many build lasting relationships
To find out more, contact Spectrum Health Visiting Nurse Association Volunteer Services at 616-486-3956.
Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) – This organization pairs older adult volunteers with non-profit agencies within Kent County. Senior volunteers can work in a number of ways including transporting older adults to medical appointments, providing other older adults with companionship, serving in food pantries and tutoring early elementary grade students to increase literacy, and much more. RSVP staff can help volunteers identifying opportunities within these focus areas that best match with their interests and/or skills.
For more information, contact Senior Neighbors’ RSVP program at 616-459-9509
Senior Companion Program –The program trains and provides a stipend for low-income seniors to care for older adults who are homebound, frail or who have mental and/or physical disabilities. Volunteers may come to the home to provide companionship for the senior, a break for a family caregiver, or companionship and support at a congregate meal site where seniors eat together. These visits often help older adults overcome feelings of loneliness and isolation some older adults experience.
For more information on this program, contact Senior Neighbors at 616-459-6019.
Meal Drivers and Packers – Meals on Wheels Western Michigan is always looking for volunteers to either help package or deliver home delivered meals. Volunteers can be any age and ability who are interested in helping provide nutritious meals to homebound seniors.
For more information on this program, contact Meals on Wheels West Michigan at 616-459-3111.
Still want to volunteer, but none of the above opportunities seem like a good fit for you? Check out Heart of West Michigan United Way’s Volunteer Center for opportunities organized by topic, location and keywords. For more information, visit http://connect.hwmuw.org/
For more details on Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan or services specific to older adults, visit www.aaawm.org or call at 616-456-5664.
Kentwood Community Church is set to host its last Community Job Fair for this year on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at its Wyoming campus, 2950 Clyde Park Ave. SW.
The Community Job Fair, which is from 9 a.m. to noon, has been around for three years and continues to draw employers from all trades, including healthcare, industrial, transportation, retail, sales and more. About 47 employers will be on site hiring for hundreds of locally available jobs. Many employers interview on the spot.
Employers registered to be at the fair cover a variety of fields from the building industry to the restaurant business. Some of the employers scheduled to be at the fair are Avalon Building Concepts, Avis Budget Group, Block by Block, Blu Perspective, Boardwalk Subs, Compass Point Labor Management, Dean Transportation, Diversified General Contracting Inc., Electro Chemical Finishing, Elwood Staffing, Enviro-Clean, FedEx Ground, Fettig, Genius Phone Repair/Tech Defenders, Grand Rapids Building Services, Griffin Transportation/Accurate Truck Service, Haworth, Kent Quality Foods, Life EMS Ambulance, Macy’s, Mercy Health, Manpower, Maxim Healthcare Services, Michigan Turkey Producers, MOKA, Morrison Industrial Equipment, Health Care Associates.Community Caregivers, New York Life, Notions Marketing, PineRest, Porter Hills, Snelling, Spectrum Community Services, Stratosphere Quality, Taco Bell, Tekton, Teleperformance, The Avon Shop, Thresholds, Tradesmen International, Two Men and a Truck, UFP Technologies, Unidine Corporation at Metro Health Hospital, Williamson Employment, and WSI
Job seekers are encouraged to bring several copies of their resume. Online registering is encouraged. Pre-registered participants will receive a packet upon arrival.
All job seekers who both pre-register online and attend the Nov. 9 Community Job Fair will be placed in a drawing for a $25 MasterCard/ Gift Card.
Several service and support organizations including: AARP, Disability Advocates of Kent County, GMSK Foundation (Veterans Services), Goodwill’s ACHIEVE Program and Celebrate Recovery will be on hand to assist job seekers who may need information regarding interpersonal and professional skill building, resume assistance and interview classes.
The Kent County Road Commission (KCRC) has some tips for making sure your mailbox is weather-ready. Shake your mailbox. Yes. It’s that simple.
KCRC is once again urging motorists to take advantage of the fall conditions and Shake Your Mailbox. Give the mailbox an aggressive shake; if the mailbox moves, it most likely needs maintenance to withstand the winter season and storm response efforts.
Over the years, a mailbox post can rot or become wobbly. By grabbing and shaking it, a resident can determine if it’s secure.
“The average speed of a snow plow is only 25 to 30 miles per hour, but a large enough amount of snow pushed off the road can damage a mailbox that is not in optimal condition,” said KCRC’s Deputy Managing Director of Operations Jerry Byrne.
Addressing necessary repairs now will help residents avoid the potential hassle of delayed mail or the need to make alternate mail delivery arrangements that a damaged mailbox can cause. The colder is gets, the greater the chance of below freezing conditions, and this makes it more difficult to install or fix a mailbox.
“Quick fixes like duct tape, bungee cords and string won’t last the season,” said Byrne. “Tighten screws and ensure that your mailbox post and receptacle are secure enough to endure large amounts of thrown snow.”
KCRC receives a number of calls from residents who believe road commission snow plows have hit their mailbox and caused damage. Byrne said that every complaint is investigated. “What we find, nine times out of ten, is that the snow coming off the truck’s blade, not the truck itself, made impact with the mailbox. We also find that, had the mailbox been in appropriate condition, it likely would have withstood the velocity at which the snow hit it.”
Wyoming and Kentwood students are among the semi-finalists in the Kent District Library and Schuler Books & Music’s Write Michigan Short Story Contest.
