Nu Blu, husband-and-wife duo Daniel and Carolyn Routh with their bandmates, will be making a stop at Lamar Park for Wyoming Concerts In The Park. (Supplied/The Band)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
As part of a busy summer touring schedule of the United States and Canada that includes several major bluegrass festival, but also a church or two and a pizza parlor, Nu Blu clearly believes in bringing new bluegrass to the people.
They also, it seems, believe in looking to the future, musically, while they pay respect to the past with their Americana/country sound.
Daniel and Carolyn Routh (Supplied/The Band)
Part of a long road trip, starting and ending at the band’s home in Siler City (that’s North Carolina, in case you’d like to know), husband-and-wife duo Daniel and Carolyn Routh, with their bandmates, will be making a stop at Lamar Park for Wyoming Concerts In The Park Tuesday, July 16.
“I love that we get to wake up someplace different every day,” Daniel Routh said in supplied material, about Nu Blu’s heavy road schedule. “We meet people from all over the country.”
In Wyoming, among the songs probably on the setlist at their local stop will be originals like “A Lot More Love” and “A Fool and Her Heart” — both off the band’s 2017 release “Vagabond” — as well as respectfully reworked covers of Country/Americana classics such as Waylon Jennings’ “Good Hearted Woman” and Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”.
They’ll likely play more off of “Vagabond”, but, to be honest, they had me at Dylan.
“We were playing this show and we just kinda decided we’d do ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.’,” Carolyn Routh said in supplied material. “We hadn’t rehearsed it; we hadn’t even played it together before. But we pulled it off that night, and the audience loved it.”
Above and beyond the musical skills of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Daniel, the banjo playing of Zach McCracke, and the fiddle/mandolin work of Justin Harrison, there is something special about Carolyn’s vocals (not to say she can’t handle a bass!).
Hearing “Knockin’ …” and “Good Hearted Woman” sung by a woman is both unique and memorable, and Carolyn’s sound on “A Lot More Love” and “A Fool and Her Heart” brings comparisons to a young Dolly Parton — a comparison I’d not argue with.
All and all, “Vagabond” the band’s sixth full-length release “delivers a set of songs that range from the melancholy to the exuberant, and at every step they prove they’ve got a knack for finding their way into the deeper parts of you,” someone writes on the band’s website about the songs.
The band formed in 2003, centered around Carolyn and Daniel previous projects. Their constant traveling has also changed the way they make music.
“If anything, I feel like the road has made us a sunnier bunch. In past albums, we’ve tended to gravitate towards the songs that make you cry,” Carolyn said, “but on this one, there are a number of just happy, happy songs.”
Bottom line is two fold: Bluegrass is perfect for a hot summer night in Wyoming, and Nu Blu brings out the big guns with their bluegrass repertoire. And, while there are many great pickers in the genera these days, some say its the vocals that make great bluegrass, and led by Carolyn and Daniel, Nu Bu has the vocal chops as well.
As the Wyoming concert season winds down — with Boardman Brown on July 23, Daddyz Breakdown on July 30, and Shadows of the Night on Aug. 6 — WKTV will continue to cover the concerts and offer replays on our cable channels (see the cable channel schedule here) and WKTV On-demand.
So Nu Blu will be waiting, patiently, as they bring new bluegrass to the people.
City of Kentwood are Terry Schweitzer, Community Development Director, and Lisa Golder, Economic Development Planner, on set at WKTV Journal In Focus.
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus is “Plan Kentwood”, the City of Kentwood’s ongoing update of its Master Plan — including possible development areas all across the city — as well as Kent County’s Veterans Services office, which is often the first and best place for county veterans and their families to turn for information and assistance.
First In Focus is the City of Kentwood’s update of its Master Plan. Through a series of community engagement efforts called “Plan Kentwood”, the city is gaining public input to help shape a long-range vision for growth, land use, development and open space conservation in the city. On the list of discussion topics are development near and along the extension of Breton Avenue south of 52nd Street, as well as the Division Avenue and 28th and 29th streets business districts. With us from the City of Kentwood are Terry Schweitzer, Community Development Director, and Lisa Golder, Economic Development Planner.
Then In Focus is Kent County Veterans Services, which operates under Kent County administration. Veterans Services either directly or indirectly assists veterans with a wide range of issues including disability claims, service records, and easing connection with needed social services and other government agencies. With us is Martha Burkett, the recently hired director of Veterans Services, who also brings a unique history, set of skills, and vision for her office. For the In Focus video, visit here.
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
Local State Sen. Peter MacGregor (R-28th District) offered his views on the status of Michigan’s current budget problems and West Michigan’s pending mental health services changes as part of a wide-ranging inter-governmental leaders meeting Monday, July 8, at the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce’s Government Matters Committee’s monthly forum at Wyoming City Hall.
Other topics of conversation were Kent County’s budgeting process and the status of recycling in Kentwood and throughout the county.
The state budgeting process “is slower than in previous years and slower than I’d like to see,” Sen. MacGregor said, explaining that currently there are three budgets that are yet to be reconciled: budgets offered the State Senate, the House of Representatives, and by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — whose budget he described as “spending money we don’t have.”
Sen. MacGregor also gave a state-level view of the continuing funding uncertainties — some say “funding crisis” — surrounding the state’s mental health services. Citing continued deficits, the state is moving to dissolve West Michigan’s current mental health funding system.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, on June 28, announced that it will not renew Lakeshore Regional Entity’s state contract to manage Medicaid benefits for mental health services after it expires Oct. 1. Sen. MacGregor said MDHHS will establish another regional publicly managed care plan, another so-called PIHP (pre-paid inpatient health plan). The LRE manages Medicaid funding distribution to mental health authorities in Kent County as well as Allegan, Ottawa, Muskegon, Oceana, Mason and Lake counties.
The Government Matters meeting brings together representatives from the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood, Kent County commissioners, local Michigan state senators and representatives, as well as often representatives of Michigan’s U.S. senators and U.S. congressman who represent the Wyoming and Kentwood area.
The next meeting will be Aug. 12 at Wyoming City Hall, 1155 28th St. SW, from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
The intergovernmental discussion hosted by the chamber focuses on issues that effect residents and businesses in the two cities.
For more information about the chamber and Government Matters visit southkent.org .
The meetings are on the second Monday of each month, starting at 8 a.m. WKTV Journal will produce a highlight story after the meeting. But WKTV also offers replays of the latest meeting on Wednesdays at 7 p.m., as well as on select Saturdays, on Comcast Cable Government Channel 26. For a highlight schedule of WKTV cable programs visit wktvjournal.org .
When I figured out how to work my grill, it was quite a moment. I discovered summer is a completely different experience when you know how to grill.
Singer/Songwriter Taylor Swift
The Mitten Brewing Company’s Taylor Darling talks to local beer aficionados in the Beer City Hopcast. (WKTV)
Listen and Drive
Looking for something to listen to as you travel around the state this weekend? Might we suggest the Beer City Hopcast with host The Mitten Brewing Company’s Taylor Darling? Taylor and the gang discuss everything from home brewing to quality crafting all while trying out the latest brews, of course!
The Gilmore Car Museum hosts an invasion of British and German cars this weekend. (Supplied)
The British are Coming!
Along with the Germans as the Gilmore Car Museum hosts a friendly invasion of sorts by our European friends as the museum, located just north of Kalamazoo, plans special events on the weekend of July 6-7. Saturday, July 6, will mark the eighth annual all-German car show at the museum followed on Sunday, July 7, by the 29th annual British Auto Faire. For all the details, click here.
A permanent outdoor exhibit of the Wizard of Oz is now open in the City of Holland. (Only In Your State)
What? Did You Say ‘Bored’?
Well then, just follow that yellow brick road to Holland as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz is coming. Or snag the Saugtauck-Douglas History App and take a walk through the picturesque village, shopping and learning about the popular tourist spot. Or head north and check out the Lakeshore Museum Center’s Heritage Park located in Whitehall. Need more ideas? Then just click here.
3,000 Miles
That is exactly how many miles of freshwater shoreline the state of Michigan has. It should come as no surprise our state has the most freshwater shoreline than any other state. And since the weather is set to be gorgeous this weekend, get out and enjoy it!
The nation celebrates its 243rd birthday this Thursday and you can bet the City of Kentwood is not holding back. The day is packed with activities from a pancake breakfast at 7:30 a.m. at Fire Station No. 1; a 5K at 8:30 a.m., followed by a parade at 9:30 a.m. Then there is the carnival, this year located behind city hall, from 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. From 4 – 10 p.m. will be a community event with a beer tent, food trucks, and bands, followed by the fireworks. Remember, those attending the Kentwood fireworks, sparkles, personal fireworks and Chinese lanterns are not permitted. For a detailed map and more, click here.
And Bombs Bursting In Air
Several other local communities also will be hosting July 4th celebrations. The City of Grandville kicks off its Fourth of July celebration with a pancake breakfast. There is also a parade (11 a.m.) and activities throughout the day. Fireworks are at 10 p.m. Other communities hosting July 4th parades and fireworks: East Grand Rapids, Ada, and Cascade Township. The City of Grand Rapids will have its July 4th fireworks on Saturday, July 6.
Free picture () from https://torange.biz/fx/new-bottle-years-fireworks-effect-78192
Now for the Rules
By now, you should have heard of the state’s new rules about fireworks. For the July 4th holiday, consumer fireworks are allowed from 11 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. through July 5 (since July 5 falls on a Friday.) According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there was an estimated 9,100 fireworks-related injuries treated in the United States in 2018, of which more than half were around July 4. So here are a few safety tips provided by local firefighters: only use fireworks outdoors in clear areas away from buildings, vehicles, and flammable substances; never relight a “dud” firework, but after 20 minutes soak it in a buck of water; fireworks should be suprivsied by a responsible adult; and have a bucket of water and charged water hose nearby.
Some Patriotic Trivia
As you are waiting for the fireworks to start, here’s a few pieces of July 4 trivia to wow your friends and family. Of all the signers of the Declaration of Independence, only John Hancock actually signed the document on July 4, 1776. Fifty-six men from the 13 colonies signed the Declaration of Independence. Of the original signers, only Thomas Jefferson and John Adams became President of the United States. Both men died within hours of each other on July 4, 1826.
Lastly: The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence was July 8, 1776 in Philadelphia. The following year, on July 4, 1777, the city adjourned Congress and celebrated Independence Day with bonfires, bells, and fireworks. In honor of that, the Liberty Bell is tapped 13 times on July 4 in remembrance of the 13 colonies.
Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how many bad roads and accommodations.
Oliver Goldsmith
Driving in Kentwood
In case you are wondering what is happening around East Paris Avenue … rehabilitation of Sparks Drive SE and Forest Hill Avenue SE from East Paris Avenue SE to Burton Street SE start on Monday, June 24 and is slated for completion in August. For the complete story, visit here.
Taking care of the kids
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus are two local efforts to support the youth of Kent County with the most basic of needs: proper nourishment and successful early childhood development. For the complete story, visit here.
Summer (fun) in full swing
Summer is officially in full swing with lots of activities taking place throughout Grand Rapids and the West Michigan area. Courtney Sheffer, from the West Michigan Tourist Association, recently stopped by the station to share some of the summer activities taking place. For the complete story, visit here.
Fun fact:
158 days
The average number of sunny days in Grand Rapids per year — don’t waste a single one! (Source)
Every car, and driver, has a story: What’s your’s? (Courtesy Bruce Carlson)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
WKTV Community Media has big plans for the 15th Annual Metro Cruise, hosted by the Wyoming Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce and scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Aug. 23-24, and we need the public’s help for one aspect of our coverage.
We all have a great car story. At least it’s great to us and for our live coverage of the 28th Street MetroCruise this August, we would like to hear your story of growing up with cars; funny stories, sentimental stories; stories of great barn finds, restoration efforts that didn’t quite pan out and those that did.
Share a little bit of your story with us by sending us a selfie video of you telling you story, with the car in question either in the video or a separate photograph of the car. Please use our Dropbox site for the video. For more information on what we are looking for, see the samples later in this story or email Ken@wktv.org .
This is only one part of WKTV Community Media’s DreamWheels Metro Cruise coverage plans, highlighted by production of a 1-hour special live broadcast scheduled to air at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 23.
“We encourage residents to come to 28th Street and be part of the fun,” said Tom Norton, general manager of WKTV Community Media. “But they can also be part of fun by viewing our live show, which will also be available in cable replays and on-demand, as well as following our complete online coverage of the event.”
The Metro Cruise is an annual event that “invites car lovers and enthusiasts to reminisce and commemorate the vehicles that have driven down 28th Street for decades,” according to supplied material. The event brings in more than $3 million in business to the 28th Street corridor over the course of two days, with more that 250,000 attendees at an event staffed solely by volunteers.
While they do not need to be this length or subject matter, here are three examples of stories we’d love to get from community contributors
Gene’s story:
1964 Ford Fairlane
My first car was a black 1964 Ford Fairlane 3-speed manual with a front seat that literally rusted away from the floorboard leaving it free to move at my command. This small fact was one I neglected to tell passengers for a very good reason. I was one of the first to own a car in high school, which meant classmates often looked to me for rides to and from school. At any given time during the commute I would take advantage of stop signs and have a little fun at their expense. Once the car had stopped, I would slowly put it in neutral and in with one quick push on the floor cause the seat to roll back ninety degrees. In that single, wonderfully comedic moment, we would find ourselves staring up at the car’s roof with our feet pointed out the front window. The reactions were worth the effort. Most of the women would scream while most men would utter an expletive not fit to print. Eventually all would break out in laughter making the effort a complete success. Of course, once you’ve done this to someone it was difficult to catch them a second time. After a month or so word had gotten out about my rolling front seat, so the stop-sign mischief soon came to an end. I had that car for two years and never fixed the problem and would occasionally get a new victim to have a little fun with.
Victoria’s story:
2001 Hyundai Elantra
Up until my current car, a 2006 Chevy Malibu, I had a preference for stick shifts. Something about feeling more like a participant in my daily travels, or some such nonsense. My car immediately prior was a 2001 Hyundai Elantra which, soon after purchase, lost all of its plastic hubcaps. I have long forgiven my current car for being an automatic — she has spiffy wheel rims that don’t fall off. But, I digress. On one trip to Ann Arbor for a 24-hour film competition, I had been alerted in advance that everyone’s car had to be parked a couple of blocks away because of the scarcity of parking. Upon arriving, I headed into the house to hand off my car key to one of the students for ‘valet parking.’ He disappeared, then quickly reappeared. “Uh, it’s a stick,” said he. The power of observation is especially strong in the young. “Yes,” replied I. “It is, indeed.” There were 10 of us. Not one of the nine younglings knew how to drive a stick.
Ken’s story:
1950s era Willys Jeep
Learning to drive a stick shift in 1969. When I was, like, 14 years old, my 20-something soon-to- be brother-in-law, probably trying to curry favor with my 18-year-old sister, invited me to go down to the Spokane River and ride dirt bikes with he and his buddies. My being totally uncoordinated with motorized machines of any kind, including how to use a clutch and gear shifter, he quickly realized the only thing I would do on a dirt bike was kill myself. So, he decided to hand over his 1950s era Willys Jeep pickup truck. He must have thought the slightly rusted military vehicle with a battled-tested 3-speed transmission, operated in flat dirt closed course, was the perfect place for me to learn how to drive a stick shift. I remember a lot of engines killed by improper cultch use and then a lot of grinding of gears, all ending with my driving around like a banshee and all the bikers desperately but successfully trying to stay out of my way.
You won’t want to miss Circle Theatre’s Magic Circle Production of Rapunzel, an adaptation by Karen Boettcher-Tate, starting on Thursday, June 26 at 7pm inside the Performing Arts Center on the campus of Aquinas College. Preceding the show at 5:30pm, join the cast for the Magic Circle Party. This one-night only event will feature refreshments, crafts, games, Storytime with the cast, and VIP seating for opening night. Tickets to the Magic Circle Party are $22 and can be purchased at circletheatre.org.
On sale now!
It will be like they are right there with you. BASE Hologram has announced North American tour dates for Roy Orbison & Buddy Holly: The Rock ’N’ Roll Dream Tour, a groundbreaking tour featuring the award-winning rock and roll legends, including a stop in Grand Rapids on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, at 7:30pm in SMG-managed DeVos Performance Hall. Tickets are on sale now. More info here.
Here’s an idea: Yoga
Start your summer weekends with an opportunity to connect to your body, breath, and nature at Blandford Nature Center. Classes are held outdoors, are accessible to all levels of experience, and start Saturday, July 13th, so don’t delay. Go here for details.
Fun fact:
421
That’s how many words Scotland has for “snow”. Some examples: sneesl (to start raining or snowing); feefle (to swirl); flinkdrinkin (a light snow).
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus are two local efforts to support the youth of Kent County with the most basic of needs: proper nourishment and successful early childhood development.
We will talk with a West Michigan group which provides more than 8,000 dinner meals a day to kids during the school year. We will talk about what they do and what plans they have to do more in the future. Then we talk with the local group tasked to administer the public funds approved by vote as last year through the Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage … and we are talking about more than $5 million dollars annually.
First In Focus is In Focus is West Michigan’s Kids’ Food Basket, a nonprofit organization best known for its Sack Supper Program, which provides a free, well-balanced nutritious evening meal distributed within classrooms at the end of each school day. The group serves schools in three counties with facilities in Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Holland. With us is Bridget Clark Whitney, founding CEO of Kids’ Food Basket, and we will talk with her about her organization, about the Feeding our Future campaign, and why it is so important to assist our young citizens in gaining proper nutrition.
Then In Focus is First Steps Kent, the local group approved by Kent County Commissioners to administer the Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage passed by county voters in November of last year. First Steps Kent is, according to its website, “an independent, influential and neutral entity that leads the community’s efforts to strengthen and coordinate early childhood services in Kent County.” With us is Annemarie Valdez, president and CEO of First Steps Kent.
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
First comes the meet-and-greet with council members and city officials. And then, the grand affair — the meeting proper — at 7pm. This past Monday marked the Wyoming City Council’s first summer outdoor meeting. Read all about it here.
The council meets every first and third Monday of the month at 7pm. The July “on the road” meeting will be July 15 at St. John Vianney Church, 4101 Clyde Park Ave. SW, and the August meeting is Aug. 19 at Aurora Pond Senior Living & Retirement Community, 2380 Aurora Pond Dr. SW. Beats being cooped up indoors.
You’re only young once
Hello West Michigan, West Michigan’s regional talent attraction and retention organization, will host its 6thannual Intern Connect conference on Wednesday, June 19, in Grand Rapids. The organization hopes to impart “essential skills” such as interpreting dress codes, navigating networking events, creating positive workplace communication and how to #adult to the more than 350 summer interns participating in the conference. More info here.
‘I could be a contender’
Recently, students and teachers gathered in the Kelloggsville High School auditorium for a time-honored tradition: signing day. The tables on the stage had logoed caps and contracts just waiting for signatures from high school seniors, ready to commit to a team for the coming year. Go here for the story.
Fun fact:
142.18
The number of licks it takes to reach the center of a Tootsie Pop. You’re welcome.
Some of the veterans at the Homeless Veterans Stand Down Friday, June 14, at Metro Health Park’s Granger Green. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
One of the veterans at the Homeless Veterans Stand Down Friday, June 14, at Metro Health Park’s Granger Green. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Some of the veterans at the Homeless Veterans Stand Down Friday, June 14, at Metro Health Park’s Granger Green. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Some of the veterans at the Homeless Veterans Stand Down Friday, June 14, at Metro Health Park’s Granger Green. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
One of the assistance tables at the Homeless Veterans Stand Down Friday, June 14, at Metro Health Park’s Granger Green. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
One of the assistance tables at the Homeless Veterans Stand Down Friday, June 14, at Metro Health Park’s Granger Green. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
One of the assistance tables at the Homeless Veterans Stand Down Friday, June 14, at Metro Health Park’s Granger Green. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
One of the assistance tables at the Homeless Veterans Stand Down Friday, June 14, at Metro Health Park’s Granger Green. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
One of the assistance tables at the Homeless Veterans Stand Down Friday, June 14, at Metro Health Park’s Granger Green. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
One of the assistance tables at the Homeless Veterans Stand Down Friday, June 14, at Metro Health Park’s Granger Green. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
VFW Post 702 distributed clothing at the Homeless Veterans Stand Down Friday, June 14, at Metro Health Park’s Granger Green. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Community Rebuilders was distributing a truckload of military surplus equipment at the Homeless Veterans Stand Down Friday, June 14, at Metro Health Park’s Granger Green. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Community Rebuilders was distributing a truckload of military surplus equipment Homeless Veterans Stand Down Friday, June 14, at Metro Health Park’s Granger Green. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
It was not all serious at the Homeless Veterans Stand Down Friday, June 14, at Metro Health Park’s Granger Green. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Scenes from the Homeless Veterans Stand Down Friday, June 14, at Metro Health Park’s Granger Green. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
It was no coincidence that the Community Rebuilders veterans assistance group was distributing a truckload of military surplus equipment suitable for urban camping, nor that the Wyoming-Grandville VFW Post 702 Auxiliary was distributing piles of clothing suitable for life on the street, at the Homeless Veterans Stand Down in Wyoming last week.
While not solely for homeless veterans, it was clear that many of about 200 veterans are currently or have been homeless as they lined up for services Friday, June 14, at Metro Health Park’s Granger Green. The event brought together nearly 50 organizations in an event sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Metro Health/University of Michigan Health.
The services offered ranged from basic food and shelter needs, to physical and mental health, to job and education services — all programs and community partners welcomed by Metro Health.
“This is our third or fourth year hosting it and we have just been honored by so many people in the community who are supporting the event for these veterans who have put their lives on the line many, many times over again for our freedom, and we are so honored to give back in a small way,” Michelle Rademacher, Metro Health community outreach specialist, said to WKTV. Metro Health/UM Health’s involvement “is important because these are members of our community and we are a community-based hospital and we want everyone to feel welcome here.”
Among the groups in attendance were the federal and Michigan based Veterans Affairs representatives as well as the Social Security Administration, the State of Michigan Veterans Employment Services and the Grand Valley State University Upward Bound veterans education assistance program, Trilogy Health Services and the Mental Health Advocacy Council, and veterans community organizations including American Legion posts and Team Red, White and Blue.
“A lot of these veterans don’t even know there is a VFW and that they can join,” Ron Oakes, commander of VFW Post 702, said to WKTV. “We do things like this for exposure, to let veterans know we are out there … (and) … that we are here to help the veterans.”
Coincidentally, Oakes’ VFW post itself is currently without a permanent home.
“We used to have a building, but not now,” Oakes said. “But we are still here and we are still looking for one.”
The veterans seeking goods and services had to produce proof of veterans status via a DD214, or valid state or military identification.
Veterans who were not able to be at the stand down can seek assistance by, among many sources, visiting the Kent County Veterans Services office at accesskent.com .
The Wyoming City Council at Southlawn Park in 2017. The council will be heading out on the road this summer visiting three of the city’s neighborhoods. (WKTV)
The Wyoming City Council once again will be taking its meetings on the road with its first summer council meeting at Wyoming Junior High, 2125 Wrenwood St. SW. The meeting is Monday, June 17, at 7 p.m.
Started in 2017, the Wyoming City Council has three of its summer meetings, this year it is the third Monday of the month in June, July, and August, in a neighborhood within the city. The goal being to provide an opportunity for residents to meet with council members in their own neighborhoods. Mayor Jack Poll said this gives residents an opportunity o learn about how its council works along with talking about issues or concerns within their own neighborhood directly with council members.
The Wyoming City Council at the Del-Mar Community Center in 2018. (WKTV)
“The Council on the Road program has been a great success for the City of Wyoming, as it allows the City Council to meet people where they are and interact with them in different ways,” Poll said. “In addition to educating residents about the City Council and how our meetings are conducted. These summer meetings also encourage council members to visit areas of the community that may be unfamiliar to them.
“Overall, we have a lot of fun and I think everyone enjoys them!”
From 6 – 7 p.m., there is a meet-and-greet with council members and city officials available to talk to residents, answer questions about the process, and enjoy a summertime treat. The council meeting will begin promptly at 7 p.m. The official agenda for the meeting will be posted here.
The council meets every first and third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. The July “on the road” meeting will be July 15 at St. John Vianney Church, 4101 Clyde Park Ave. SW, and the August meeting is Aug. 19 at Aurora Pond Senior Living & Retirement Community, 2380 Aurora Pond Dr. SW.
Poll said “I encourage you to ‘be involved and be informed,’ and we look forward to meeting you and your neighbors this summer.”
The annual roadwork “construction season” in Kentwood and beyond was one of the many discussion items of a wide-ranging inter-governmental leaders meeting Monday, June 10, at the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce’s Government Matters Committee’s monthly forum at Kentwood City Hall.
The monthly forum is free and open to the public, and allows public questions.
“We do have two seasons: snow season and construction season, and we are starting that construction season,” City of Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley said at the meeting. “We do have road construction projects in place and I encourage everybody to go to our website, and see when those are (happening) and where those construction projects are taking place.”
Mayor Kepley pointed out major work along Sparks Drive SE and Forest Hill Avenue SE including the intersections of Burton Street SE and East Paris Avenue SE. According to the city’s website listing 2019 roadwork, the project will cost $1.3 million and run June 24 through August. For more information see a WKTV story (from the City of Kentwood) here.
The Government Matters meeting brings together representatives from the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood, Kent County commissioners, local Michigan state senators and representatives, as well as often representatives of Michigan’s U.S. senators and U.S. congressman who represent the Wyoming and Kentwood area.
The next meeting will be July 8 at the Wyoming City Hall, 1155 28th St SW, from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
The intergovernmental discussion hosted by the chamber focuses on issues that effect residents and businesses in the two cities.
For more information about the chamber and Government Matters visit southkent.org .
The meetings are on the second Monday of each month, starting at 8 a.m. WKTV offers replays of the Monday meetings on the following Wednesday and each Wednesday at 7 p.m. on Comcast Cable Government Channel 26. It will also be replayed on the Saturday a week after the meeting at noon, also on Channel 26.
With a vast repertoire that features covers from such groups as Cake, .38 Special, A-ha, Fun, and Elton John, West Michigan’s Brena Band is set to take the stage Tuesday for the second Wyoming Concerts in the Park.
Concerts in the Park is at 7 p.m. at Lamar Park, 2561 Porter St. SW.
The Brena Band, a popular band for weddings and social engagements, has performed at a number of West Michigan festivals and concerts such as the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival and the City of Walker’s summer concert series.
The group is known for its high energy and extensive song list that ranges from oldies to current top 40 hits, classic rock to smooth R&B, country to high energy dance music and everything in between. The band also has won Revue Magazine’s Best of the West Cover Band for the past three years.
If you can not make Tuesday night’s performance, the group will be back in the area Aug. 1 to perform at the Kentwood summer concert series, which is at 7 p.m. on the lawn behind the Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Rd. SE.
Before the Wyoming Concerts in the Park show, there will be free Zumba. Food vendors will be available as well. For a complete list of the Wyoming Concerts in the Park, visit the Facebook page by clicking here.
Contrary what you might have recently smelled at local concert venues, if not on the main streets of Michigan, smoking marijuana is legal but — currently — not if you bought it or if you are lighting it up in public.
Didn’t know those facts? Don’t feel alone.
With extensive government regulation and rules still being written, it still a little cloudy on the laws surrounding the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act, which Michigan voters approved last fall and which legalized adult recreational marijuana use.
To find out just what is legal and what is not, currently and possibly in the future, WKTV sat down with Christopher R. Becker, Kent County Prosecuting Attorney. And from what he said, smokers are not the only ones a little hazy on the subject — to some Michiganders it is unclear if legal marijuana use it is actually the law of the land already.
“Legalization actually went into effect in December (2018), just about a month from it being passed,” said Becker, who was elected to the position in 2016 and leads the prosecutor’s office team of more than 30 attorneys. “The best description would probably be that it is in a transition stage right now.”
As far as the current laws governing several situations of illegal use and possession, Becker said, “for the vast majority of cases it is a civil infraction … There are some unique things, criminally. But then for the rest, the infrastructure if you will, the dispensary, the system to distribute it … the state is still working through getting that all set up right now.”
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) is the government body drafting the state’s rule and regulations. But at this point, it is legal to possess marijuana but there is no place to buy it — legally.
“Essentially, that is what it is,” Becker said. “If you are over 21, you can have it in your possession, you can smoke it in your own house, you can share it — and that is a very important term. … (selling it, or supplying it ‘with remuneration’) is still illegal.”
Becker, in the WKTV Journal In Focus interview, also went on to detail the current laws of public consumption, the evolving laws — and flaws in the laws— associated with driving in possession and while under the influence, and other current and possible legal aspects of legal recreational marijuana.
In the interview, Becker also talked about his office’s work with new and innovative justice system programs in Kent County, including Restorative Justice for Juveniles, and courthouse therapy dogs for children and vulnerable adult victims.
He also addressed recent criticism of Michigan’s prosecutors from the Michigan ACLU, associated with the group’s Smart Justice Campaign, focused on the rights of poor and minority persons charged with crimes but not convicted. See a WKTV story on the ACLU’s Smart Justice campaign here.
Background on MRTMA and local reaction
On Nov. 6, 2018, Michigan voters approved Proposal 18-1, which created the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act (MRTMA) and legalized adult marijuana use for recreational purposes. This law automatically “opts-in” all municipalities, but each municipality can decide the extent to which it may limit or prohibit state-licensed recreational marijuana establishments prior to a December 2019 deadline.
Many municipalities across the state are waiting on their “opt-in or opt-out” decision until the state finishes writing the rules for the new adult-use marijuana industry, expected to be in draft form in June. But Wyoming and Kentwood did not wait around.
The City of Kentwood City Commission, in November of 2018, just after the proposal was approved, voted in favor of an amendment to the city code to prohibit marijuana establishments within the city, according to media reports.
The City of Wyoming’s City Council, in December of 2018, adopted a pair of ordinance amendments: one prohibits the operation of both recreational marijuana establishments and medical marijuana facilities; a second updates the city’s guidelines on recreational marijuana so that is might be regulated the same as alcohol in the future.
UPDATE: Investigators have received credible information that Eric Webb has taken a bus out of the Grand Rapids area and is, most likely, out of state. due to Webb;s mental state, he is still listed as a missing endangered person. anyone with information on Webb’s whereabouts is still asked to contact the Wyoming Department of Public Safety.
The Wyoming Department of Public Safety is requesting assistance in locating an endangered missing person.
The missing person is Eric Webb, a 45-year-old white male who is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 210 pounds. He has a shaved head and wears glasses. Webb was last seen wearing a black/gray/red coat, shorts, white shoes, and carrying a backpack.
Webb and his wife are not from the area and checked into a hotel in Wyoming on June 5. Webb was scheduled for a medical procedure at a local area hospital at 5:30 a.m. on June 6. At approximately 4 a.m., Webb told his wife that he would wait for her in the lobby to go to the hospital. Surveillance footage shows Webb walking out of the hotel lobby at 4:21 am and he has not been seen or heard from since. It is believed that Webb is not thinking clearly due to his medical condition.
A screen shot from the video camera at the hotel. This is what Eric Webb was last seen wearing.
Webb was last seen walking east on 28th Street between Buchanan Avenue and S. Division Avenue.
Anyone with information on Webb’s whereabouts is asked to call 9-1-1 or the Wyoming Department of Public Safety.
“I go to Costco every weekend. It’s my favorite part of the week.”
~ Jimmy Kimmel
Kicking off so you can kick up your heels
Circle June 4th on your calendar. That’s the date Concerts in the Park kicks off with local favorite Midlife Crisis, a classic rock band that was formed in 2001. The free, nine-week summer concert series held at 7pm Tuesdays at Lamar Park, 2561 Porter St. SW, features a wide variety of musical styles, interactive themes, and local food vendors. More info here.
Summer reads make me feel fine
Summer reading at KDL starts Monday, June 3 this year and runs through Saturday, Aug. 10. Sign up online at READsquared or pick up a paper form at your nearest KDL branch. Log your summer reading activity and earn prizes! Get more info here.
More active souls ought to check out the third annual Liquid Force Field Day on Saturday, June 1 at Action Wake Park, 3320 Hudson Trails Dr., Hudsonville, MI 49426. It’s a great opportunity to try Action Wake Park completely free of cost. Here is more info.
Fun fact:
25 years
Up to 25 years is the jail sentence you’ll get if you cut down a cactus in Arizona. Talk about harsh.
On Tuesday, May 28, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) announced an award of $945,000 in 21stCentury Learning Center grant funds to operate seven elementary after-school programming sites in the city of Wyoming through the TEAM 21 after-school program, a consortium of the City of Wyoming, Wyoming Public Schools, Godfrey-Lee Public Schools and Godwin Heights Public Schools.
Currently, TEAM 21 serves 1,542 students, 900 of which were at risk of losing services should this grant have not been funded. Schools impacted are: Wyoming Public School District – Gladiola, Oriole Park, Parkview and West; Godfrey-Lee Public School District – Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center and Godfrey Elementary; and Godwin Heights Public School District – North Godwin Elementary. TEAM 21 provides academic support, enrichment, health and fitness, life skills, service-learning, and recreation opportunities in the after-school and summer hours.
Wyoming, Kelloggsviile, Godwin Heights and Godfrey Lee Public Schools students fill their summer days with fun and activities through TEAM 21, which blended summer school and recreation
“TEAM 21 is a testament of community collaboration resulting in high quality programming that is making a proven difference in the academic performance of children,” stated Craig Hoekstra, Superintendent of Wyoming Public Schools and grant fiduciary agent.
This funding brings the total number of TEAM 21 sites to 12 for the 2019-2020 school year with an annual investment exceeding $1.2 million by the MDE and leveraged by local municipal and school district in-kind resources.
“We are thrilled at the opportunity this provides for TEAM 21 to continue serving youth and families in the Wyoming community,” said Rebecca Rynbrandt, Director of Community Services. “We are blessing, investing in and mentoring our next generation of leaders.”
In addition to the seven schools awarded, TEAM 21 has continuation funding secured for five additional schools (WPS – Wyoming Intermediate and Wyoming Junior High; GLPS – Lee Middle; GHPS – West Godwin Elementary and Godwin Middle) through a separate 21st CCLC grant. For more information about the TEAM 21 program, please visit www.wyomingmi.gov/team21 or contact the Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department at 616-530-3164.
The 15th Annual Metro Cruise, hosted by the Wyoming Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce, is still a summer-full of fun away — the event is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Aug. 23-24 — but the wheels are already rolling toward the big event.
The chamber hosted the 6th Annual 28th Street Metro Cruise Dust Off in early May at the Moose Lodge on Burlingame Avenue SW, when the Miss Metro Cruise contest (formerly the Pin Up Girl contest) was also officially introduced. The next steps in the contest will be the preliminaries set to take place, Sunday, July 13, also at the Moose Lodge, with the finals set for Aug. 24 on the Metro Cruise Main Stage.
“The sixth annual Dust Off is our first event of the Metro Cruise car season,” Bob O’Callaghan, president/CEO of the Chamber, said to WKTV at the May event. “We have over 100 cars here. This kinds of kicks off the guys going to all the (local car) events.”
It was also the kick off of the re-engineered Miss Metro Cruise contest.
“The way the girls dress, it is more in eras, not like the old (pin-up) calendar thing you’d see in the past,” O’Callaghan said. “It is really a classy operation, so we thought we’d change the name to reflect the Metro Cruise.”
And while WKTV Journal was at the Dust Off, WKTV Community Media is deep in plans for its production of a 1-hour special live broadcast scheduled to air at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 23, on WKTV Comcast Channel 25, AT&T U-verse Channel 99, as well as being live-streamed and, later, on-demand on WKTV.org .
“Each Metro Cruise is one of our highlights in covering the hyperlocal stories of Wyoming and Kentwood,” said Tom Norton, general manager of WKTV Community Media. “The Chamber of Commerce does an outstanding job of putting on a true community event that has become a staple of summertime. We’re looking forward to our one-hour, live broadcast on Friday night from Metro Cruise.
“Tune in for all the close-ups before you come out and discover Metro Cruise 2019, ” Norton added. “We encourage residents to come to 28th Street and be part of the fun, but they can also be part of fun by viewing our live show, which will also be available in cable replays and on-demand, as well as following our complete online coverage of the event.”
The Metro Cruise is an annual event that “invites car lovers and enthusiasts to reminisce and commemorate the vehicles that have driven down 28th Street for decades,” according to supplied material. The event brings in more than $3 million in business to the 28th Street corridor over the course of two days, with more that 250,000 attendees at an event staffed solely by volunteers.
Some of the Miss Metro Cruise contestants at the Dust Off. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The Miss Metro Cruise contest is an contest that features women dressing in eras from the 1920s, 1960s, to modern-day in full hair, makeup, and costume. Currently there is about 30 participants, with a July 13 preliminary contest to select the top 10 finalists. Each finalist will receive personalized trading cards and a chance to be named Miss Metro Cruise 2019 with the top three finalists set to receive a cash prize.
The music returns to Lamar Park next week as the WyomingCommunity Enrichment Commission (WCEC) kicks off the 2019 Concerts in the Park series.
The free nine-week summer concert series held at 7 p.m. Tuesdays at Lamar Park, 2561 Porter St. SW, features a wide variety of musical styles, interactive themes, and local food vendors.
“Concerts in the Park is an annual tradition for the community and provides a great opportunity to enjoy the park with neighbors, family and friends,” says Rebecca Rynbrandt director of community services. “We encourage everyone to come out and enjoy the free concert series.”
The 2019 season features both perennial favorites as well as some newcomers. The entire program, according to Commission Chairperson Rennee Gardner is to make the event a fun, family-friendly one.
“One of the most exciting things about the lineup for 2019 is the incredible variety of performances that we plan to offer,” Gardner said. “Over the course of the season, we are confident that just about everyone can find something they enjoy.”
Midlife Crisis performs June 4
The series kicks off on June 4 with local favorite Midlife Crisis, a classic rock band that was formed in 2001. The six friends and experienced musicians draw musical inspiration from every decade, so expert a variety of songs from originals to the classics.
On June 11 is Brena Band. This six-member band has a wide variety of songs ranging from classic rock to smooth RnB, country to high energy dance music. Having been part of the wedding entertainment circuit, the group is known for its dance party-style.
The Brena Band performs June 11.
For all the polka lovers, Ray Watkoski & Family will take the stage on June 18. Having been playing for more than sixty years, this group is truly a family affair with sons-in-laws and even the grandchildren helping to make it an evening of polka fun.
Wrapping up the month of June is the city’s popular WiFi concert on June 25. The evening will feature two southern rock groups, Paradise Outlaw and Jared Knox along with fireworks taking place after the concert.
Paradise Outlaw performs at the WiFi concert on June 25.
Being that the June 25 concert is the city’s Fourth of July celebration, the Concerts in the Park takes a break the week of July 4.
The local group Jack & The Spare Tires picks up the music on July 9. Known for its sixties, seventies, and eighties covers, the band describes itself as “ a few guys that love music and just like to play whether it’s for a crowd or just jam on our own.”
Nationally known bluegrass group Nu-Blu performs on July 16.
On July 16 the national group Nu-Blu comes to the Lamar Park stage. Hailing from North Carolina, Nu-Blue has brought its unique sound of bluegrass music to the world. Earlier this year, the group was named as the permanent host of the television series “Bluegrass Ridge” and in 2018 became members of the Country Music Association.
On July 23 West Michigan country group Boardman Brown takes the stage with classic rock group Daddyz Breakdown following on July 30.
On July 23 Boardman Brown performs.
Wrapping up the Concerts in the Park series is the Shadows of the Night on Aug. 6. The group will pay tribute to the women of rock. This concert also will be part of the National Night Out event set for Aug. 6 as well.
Performances begin at 7 p.m. and are located at Lamar Park, 2561 Porter St. SW. For further details and up-to-date information, visit www.wyomingcec.org or www.facebook.com/wyomingcec.
Looking for an exciting way to enhance your summer, learn something new and qualify for prizes in the process?
Look no further, as Kent District Library presents its popular Summer Reading program with a wide range of books, programs and activities for children and adults. In 2018, over 18,000 people completed the program.
This year’s annual program kicks off Monday, June 3 and extends through Saturday, August 10. You can sign up at kdl.READsquared.com, or just stop into any KDL branch for details.
“We love offering great programs for all ages every summer,” said Kip Odell, programming manager. “This summer we are presenting a lot of new and exciting performers that are coming to West Michigan for the first time. Our goal is to keep reading fun all summer long!”
Those who register for Summer Reading at KDL can qualify for prizes by tallying the number of books they read, or tracking the points they accumulate by completing activities.
But perhaps the best gain – especially for students – is how reading throughout the vacation months helps forestall the “summer slide” that negatively affects learning between the end and start of the traditional school year.
Extensive research shows that children involved in summertime reading programs sponsored by public libraries are more likely to maintain their academic skills, and in many cases do better on standardized tests.
This summer’s program lineup will include appearances by 1,2,3 Andrés, Magician Tom Plunkard, Audacious Hoops and many more. Visit kdl.readsquared.com for details.
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.
The official start of summer comes this weekend as many have a three-day one due to Memorial Day being on Monday, May 27.
Memorial Day, usually observed on the last Monday in May, originally only honored those who were lost during the fighting of the Civil War. It has evolved over the years to include all American military personal who died in any of the wars. Communities throughout the country mark the event with parades and special ceremonies, which is what both the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood will be doing on Monday, May 27.
Wreaths are laid during the Kentwood Memorial Day ceremony. (Supplied)
Kentwood
In Kentwood, the Amvets Post and the American Legion D.W. Cassard Post 208 have shared the responsibilities of hosting the annual parade and service with one group hosting it one year and the other hosting it the next. For 2019, the Amvets Post has organized the event.
The parade is set for 10 a.m. Monday, May 27. It kicks off from the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), near the corner of 48th Street and Eastern Avenue. From there, it will head west down 48th Street to Kentwood’s Veteran’s Memorial Park located in front of the Kentwood Activities Center, 355 48th St. SE. At the park, there will be a ceremony including the laying of five wreaths, one for each of the branches of the military service: Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard. The service will last about an hour. The Kentwood Memorial Day celebration will air at 12:30 p.m. and again at 8 p.m. on WKTV Channel 25.
Wyoming
The City of Wyoming will host its annual Memorial Day Ceremony at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 27 at Veterans Memorial Garden, 2380 DeHoop SW.
The ceremony will feature guest speaker Diane Cimochowski who retired after a career of service from the United States Navy in 1996. Cimochowski is a highly decorated photographer’s mate first class who earned many awards during her career including the Navy achievement medal, national defense bronze star and overseas bronze star.
“The City of Wyoming is honored to recognize those who have served and those who continue to serve our country in the armed forces in order to protect our freedoms,” said City of Wyoming Mayor Jack Poll, who will serve as host to the event. “The Memorial Day Ceremony is a tribute to that service and protection and we are grateful to continue the tradition of this ceremony in our very own Veterans Memorial Garden.”
The ceremony will feature the Lee High School band led by Kevin Gabrielse and the Wyoming Department of Public Safety Honor Guard who will fire a rifle volley salute. WKTV will air the Wyoming Memorial Day ceremony at 8:30 p.m.
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.
“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.
Mustafa Santiago Ali enjoys chatting with WMCAT advanced videography students (from left) Micah Garmon of C.A. Frost Environmental Science Academy; Arieal Jackson of Grand Rapids University Prep Academy; Erion Adams of Grand Rapids Montessori; and Marc Ramirez of Grand Rapids UPrep
Kalil Adams loves hip-hop, but he never really connected it to global warming until he met Mustafa Santiago Ali.
The East Kentwood senior performed a hip-hop track about environmental justice for Ali, a former top official with the Environmental Protection Agency and climate-change activist with the Hip Hop Caucus. In recent performances at City High/Middle School and Aquinas College, Kalil and fellow members of All of the Above Hip Hop Academy rapped and danced an urgent message titled “There Needs to be Change.”
Precisely, Kalil said later.
“It’s something that should be paid attention to a lot more than what people believe it is,” Kalil said of global pollution and climate change. “It may not seem that big an issue, but there are people who literally are not able to breathe clean air.”
That’s the kind of passion about environmental concerns Ali says he is seeing in young people all across the country, as he brings his global-warning message to students through the lens of hip-hop culture.
“This is not a moment,” Ali said during a two-day string of appearances in Grand Rapids. “This is literally a movement,” similar to the civil rights and women’s suffrage movements. “There’s a reawakening.”
Students like Kalil are a leading force in that movement, seeing the perils that await their generation if they do not act to reverse climate change now, Ali added.
“I’m super-proud of all the young leaders. They’re changing the game. They’ve got folks on Capitol Hill shook.”1 of 2
Mustafa Santiago Ali on a tour of WMCAT classrooms with videography student Erion Adams, who helped film a documentary of his Grand Rapids visit.
Mustafa Santiago Ali talks with WMCAT videography instructor Mike Saunders before addressing students
Leaves EPA over Trump Agenda
He took a break to discuss his work during a visit to the West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology, where videography students filmed a documentary about his talks there, at City High/Middle and at the Aquinas College Performing Arts Center as part of Aquinas’ Wege Speaker Series.
Ali recently joined the National Wildlife Federation as vice president for environmental justice, climate and community revitalization. He worked for 24 years at the EPA, heading its Office of Environmental Justice before stepping down in 2017, two months after President Trump took office. His high-profile resignation came as the EPA under Scott Pruitt proposed slashing Ali’s office budget and plans to eliminate it entirely.
The Trump administration’s agenda of gutting environmental protections, including Ali’s work around the effects of pollution on poor and minority communities, compelled him to resign, Ali said.
“The reason I had to leave was if they were going to go forward with the things they said they were going to do, I knew more people were going to get sick, I knew more people were going to die, and I knew who those people were,” Ali said. “I said I can’t be a part of hurting my people.”
His work with young people aims to enlighten them on how pollution and climate change hit poor communities especially hard. Diesel trucks roar by urban schools, smog settles over poor neighborhoods, and hotter weather exacerbates asthma that disproportionately afflicts African Americans and Latinos, he noted.
“Those are policy choices people made, and they determine who’s going to win and who’s going to lose,” he said.
Hip Hop Motivates and Educates
He sees young people increasingly alarmed by these trends – and motivated to turn them around. While some are resigned to “game over,” he said, “a whole lot of others are saying, ‘We’ve still got some time if we act now.’”
Events like the March 15 worldwide Climate Strike reflect students’ commitment to act, much like the March for Our Lives has for gun violence, he said. “Young people are going to have to run for office, and fill those positions where people don’t want to do the right thing.”
Hip-hop culture is a powerful motivator and educational tool to reach those future voters, he added. As vice president of Hip Hop Caucus, he championed environmental justice and registered more than 600,000 people to vote. He co-hosts the podcast Hip Hop Caucus Think 100%, a reference to achieving 100 percent clean energy.
In Grand Rapids he connected with All of the Above, a hip-hop program that began at Ottawa Hills High School and is now based at Covenant House Academy. Under the leadership of Matthew Duncan, aka Monk Matthaeus, students wrote and performed a track about pollution’s effect on disadvantaged communities.
Kalil said he learned much about environmental injustice from creating the piece, and was honored to perform it for Ali.
“I never thought I’d actually be able to do something on that scale with someone that big. To be able to even have an opportunity to perform in front of Mr. Santiago Ali, it meant a lot.”
For more stories on area schools, visit the School News Network website, schoolnewsnetwork.org.
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
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)
Two weeks before the start of her freshman year at Godwin High School, Ahnaka Ortiz-Rodriguez landed in the emergency room with abdominal pain. Her mom was with her while they awaited test results. Ahnaka believed she was experiencing some stomach issues, something she dealt with as a child. When the doctor walked in, Ahnaka and her mom heard the unexpected: “Your daughter’s pregnant.”
Ahnaka Ortiz-Rodriguez uses any breaks in the school day to work on homework, so she can spend more time after school with her daughter, Izzy, and work as a supervisor at Chow Hound
Ahnaka cried. Her mom cried. They were scared, worried. As the oldest of three siblings, Ahnaka felt she had disappointed her family. She was a good student with a bright future. She was supposed to be a role model. She texted her boyfriend, Joseph Torres, who thought she was joking. It took her mom calling his mom to convince him it was true.
“I had all these thoughts running through my head: ‘Is my boyfriend going to stay? Is he going to help? Can I do this? Am I going to be able to finish school?’”
For Ahnaka, the answer to all of the above was “yes.” But for many teens, that is not the case. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pregnancy and birth contribute significantly to high school dropout rates among female students, with about 50 percent of teen mothers receiving a high school diploma by age 22, compared to 90 percent for those who do not give birth.
Not only is Ahnaka raising her daughter, but she’s also slated to graduate 34th in her class this May with a 3.4 GPA and a recent induction to the National Honors Society to her name. The journey has not been easy, Ahnaka said. Sleepless nights awake with a teething baby followed by a full day of school is not for the faint of heart. But it has been worth it.
5…6…7…Ahnaka Ortiz-Rodriguez counts steps with her daughter Izabella, 3
Fitting Trimesters into Semesters
Ahnaka remembers how torn she felt as she prepared to begin high school.
“At first, everyone was disappointed– which is normal. I was 14 when I found out. A 14-year-old who’s just going to school, who hasn’t even had her teenage years yet. I feel like my family thought I would would just throw the baby on them. That’s what happens sometimes (with young moms), I never wanted them to feel like she was their responsibility.”
Some friends suggested adoption, but Ahnaka knew it wasn’t for her. She would figure out a way to raise her baby and, she decided, graduate with her class.
“I created her, I had her. It’s my and her dad’s responsibility. I wanted to give her the best life possible.”
Ahnaka completed her first half of freshman year at Godwin. Then, wary of both the social ramifications of being pregnant at 14 — the looks, the comments — and the thought that she might miss too much school to stay on track for graduation, Ahnaka chose to spend the second semester of her freshman year learning via the online platform MySchool@Kent, offered by Kent ISD.
School counselor Tish Stevenson has known Ahnaka for four years. She said she was impressed with the way Ahnaka and her mother requested a meeting early in her freshman year to hatch a plan for Ahnaka to stay in school. She was unsure, however, if the plan would work.
“Up to that point I had not had good experiences with online learning. Very few kids had the self-control and family support necessary to work independently,” said Stevenson. “I worried because not only would this girl have to work on her own, but it was also her first year in high school and she had plenty of other things to concern herself with.”
But Ahnaka had school staff and her family in her corner. “My mom was a big supporter and so was my grandma.”
On March 4, 2016, Izabella, or “Izzy” as she is called, arrived — 7 pounds, 12 ounces and sporting a head of dark hair. That’s when everything changed.
“As time went by, it was getting more exciting and the sad part was over. When she came, I feel like that’s when everybody wasn’t upset anymore. How can you be upset when you have a gift right here?” said Ahnaka, referring to Izzy.
Ahnaka completed her freshman year through MySchool, impressing her counselor.
“I was delightfully surprised at the fact that she passed all her classes but one. She was able to independently complete her work, mostly unsupervised and at a very difficult, intense time in her young life,” said Stevenson. “I knew right then that Ahnaka was an exceptional individual.”
Ahnaka knew that being in the classroom would motivate her to succeed. She returned to Godwin in the fall, relying on family and friends to watch Izzy for the first few years.
Ahnaka Ortiz-Rodriguez and her daughter Izabella, 3, outside the Godwin Heights home where they live
Bringing Up Baby
It didn’t take long for Ahnaka to realize the enormity of the sacrifice she was making.
“At first, after I had her, I was very depressed and a little sad and lonely,” she said. “All my friends are going out, hanging out at the mall, having fun. And I’m inside and I don’t ever leave. It was upsetting at first.”
Looking back, she said, “I wouldn’t change it. I would want to be with my daughter. I spent most of my time with her and that’s time that I can’t get back.”
Once school was under way, the work was relentless. Sometimes, Ahnaka would be awake almost an entire night, especially when Izzy was teething or sick, then she would spend almost eight hours at school followed by time with Izzy, homework and another sleepless night.
Whenever friends would tell her it would probably be OK to stay home after a sleepless night, she disagreed. “I can’t miss school because I am tired. If I do, what will I do when I need to miss classes to take her to the doctor or because she’s sick? That’s not a reason for me. It’s not an excuse. You always have enough time; you just have to manage it wisely.”
Jasmine Gonzalez has been friends with Ahnaka since they were in sixth-grade. She said she gives her friend lots of credit for all she does, and is inspired by her ability to juggle everything on her plate. “She makes it look way easy,” said Jasmine.
“No excuses,” is something Ahnaka says often.
Teacher Kelly Gray taught Ahnaka in 10th- and 11th-grade Spanish, and watched her blossom. She showed up consistently, asked good questions, and conquered her fear of public speaking to present in front of the class like a pro, said Gray.
“Ahnaka had a full plate with raising a daughter, who at the time was less than a year old. Sometimes Ahnaka would come to school tired due to lack of sleep,” said Gray. “However, she never used being too busy as an excuse.”
As Izzy grew, Ahnaka became concerned with her daughter’s learning. She says she often feared that Izzy would be behind because she wasn’t with her all day. They’d spend their evenings together singing songs, learning letters, counting stairs. Izzy would see Ahnaka doing homework and would “help” — in the form of scribbles.
“Izzy left you a note,” Ahnaka would tell her teachers when turning in her work.
Ahnaka said it’s those little interactions that mean so much: “Even if it’s not five hours that I could give her – even if it’s just two minutes counting the steps as you go down them – they remember that.”
While learning all she can in school, Ahnaka credits her mother, Danniele Lucchesi, for teaching her how to be a mom. Her support, said Ahnaka, helped make raising Izzy and getting a diploma a reality.
Ahnaka, Izzy, and a wolf
Meeting Deadlines, Heading to the Finish Line
While infants live on their own terms, students do not.
“I’ve never had a teacher who told me that I ‘couldn’t’ – or try to pity me,” said Ahnaka. “I have the same due dates as everybody else. I want to be treated like everyone else. I’m grateful that my teachers treated me equal and pushed me harder.”
As she finishes the last few weeks of high school, Ahnaka is staying focused. She drops Izzy, now 3 and potty-trained, off at her new daycare at 7 a.m., then picks up Joseph, her boyfriend of nearly five years, and they head to school together. In the evenings, Ahnaka works at Chow Hound, where she was recently promoted to supervisor. Again, there’s always the fear of missing out on time with Izzy, but she knows her daughter is in good hands.
“When I leave for work, she’ll wave and say, “Bye mom, I love you!’” said Ahnaka.
Ahnaka plans to enroll in Grand Rapids Community College, a choice she made because it will allow her to live at home with her daughter. She has already earned credits toward college through dual enrollment, and intends to study nursing, a decision influenced by her experience of having many compassionate and supportive nurses when she had Izzy at Spectrum Health.
“Ahnaka’s claim to fame is her consistency and the very high standards she has always adhered to for herself,” said Stevenson, citing her straight-A and A- record for 10th, 11th, and 12th-grades. “She is dual-enrolled at GRCC and always, always, always takes care of business. Plenty of others would use early motherhood as an excuse to take it a little easier at school. And rightfully so! But instead, Ahnaka has used motherhood as motivation to excel.”
Ahnaka said her drive to succeed comes from many place — from the people who she felt she had let down, and who doubted she’d graduate. It comes from the people who were by her side, and encouraged her to succeed. Mostly, it comes from Izzy.
“Going home and seeing her smile motivates me,” said Ahnaka. “I want to do everything I can for her.”
“She does an amazing job of what she does,” said boyfriend Joseph, who is also graduating this year.
Ahnaka is excited to think that when she walks across that stage May 22 and flips the tassel on her mortarboard, Izzy will be there to see it.
“I know she doesn’t have the words to say it, but I know she can feel that I am doing this for her.”
Ahnaka Ortiz-Rodriguez helps her daughter Izabella, 3, put on shoes before heading outside.
Ahnaka Ortiz-Rodriguez watches as her daughter Isabella flies a toy around their Godwin Heights home.
Ahnaka Ortiz-Rodriguez listens as her daughter, Izzy, 3, tells her how to operate the Minnie Mouse cash register after receiving coins.
Sid Lenger, better known as Mr. Sid, loved sharing his stories of World War II and his travel adventures around the world.
The founder of Lenger Travel and World War II veteran passed away May 13 at the age of 100 but his love of sharing stories will continue, according to his friends who plan to honor Lenger’s memory by continuing his already scheduled Mr. Sid’s Wednesday Afternoon Video Series at Marge’s Donut Den, 1751 28th St. SW.
Tom Sibley, a WKTV volunteer and one of Lenger’s helpers in organizing the series, said after consulting with Lenger’s daughter, Lavonne Ritzema, Marge Wilson owner of Marge’s Donut Dent, and Fruitbasket/Flowerland owner Rick Vuyst, who is the scheduled guest speaker, it was decided to continue with Vuyst’s scheduled presentation. The program is set for Wednesday, May 15, at 2 p.m. at Marge’s Donut Den. Lenger is one of the military veterans featured in Vuyst’s newest book “Operation Rumination.”
“With a heavy heart – but comforted knowing that faithful Sid is at peace in the open arms of his Savior and reunited with his lifelong partner Beulah and son Sidney, we report that our Mr. Sid passed away Monday morning,” Sibley said, when announcing Lenger’s passing.
Filmaking always had been a hobby of Lenger who had crated hundreds of films. As part of Lenger Travel, Lenger would make travelogues that he would often show at Godwin Heights High School to help increase interest in the tours his company offered. The films became popular because they not only highlighted the well-known places such as Munch or Berlin, but captured what life was really like in those communities.
Sibley once noted “When [Lenger] took tour groups, he often would take smaller groups so that they could get up close to the whales or access to places larger groups could not visit.”
One of Lenger’s more popular films was his tour of Muskegon’s LST 393 (landing ship tank), where he was a volunteer tour guide. During World War II, Lenger served on such a ship, the LST 651, during the first wave in Okinawa. Lenger often told the story of a Japanese World War II plane headed toward the ship and how his gunner David “Goldie” Goldsboro save the ship. Last fall, Goldsboro and his family came for a special Mr. Sid’s Wednesday Afternoon Video Series program, which featured the story of Lenger’s time on the LST 651.
David “Goldie” Goldsboro and Sid Lenger served on the same ship, the LST 651, during World War II. The two were together last fall for a special Mr. Sid’s Wednesday Afternoon Video Series. (WKTV)
Sibley said the spring Mr. Sid Wednesday Afternoon Video Series will continue on May 29 with the film on the LST 393, which is still docked in Muskegon and is one of only two surviving vintage LSTs (landing ship tank). It will be followed by a question-and-answer session with staff from the LST 393. On June 12, there will be an “Honoring Fathers” program lead by Mike Martin.
Visitation for Lenger will be at Zaagman’s Memorial Chapel, 2800 Burton St. SE, from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, and one hour (from 10 – 11 a.m.) prior to the 11 a.m. Thursday, May 16, service at Seymour Christian Reformed Church, 840 Alger St. SE. Lenger is survived by his children, Lavonne Ritzema, Robert and Lori Lenger, Richard and Carol Lenger, Ruth Lenger; his sister-in-law, Joan Lenger; 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and one great-great granddaughter.
Kent District Library is proud to be the first library in the country to introduce MagnusCards®, a new initiative to assist patrons with cognitive special needs such as autism. Canadian company Magnusmode created MagnusCards®, a mobile app which leverages technology to empower and aid people as they engage in a variety of everyday activities.
MagnusCards® offers digital “Card Decks” which provide step-by-step instructions that walk the user through a variety of activities. KDL’s custom app offers five different Card Decks to help individuals check out materials at the library and utilize other services. Card Decks include:
Getting a library card
Using a self-checkout station
Using the KDL catalog and placing holds
Logging into a computer at the library
What to expect at the library
The cards include graphics, text and audio, so they can assist people with various disabilities, including visual and hearing impairments. They are available in both English and Spanish.
“It is important to us that all our patrons can effectively use the free services we have to offer,” said Michelle Roossien, LBPH Specialist at the Wyoming branch of KDL. “This is an important step to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and welcome at our branches.”
Downloading this easy to use app is free on both Apple and Android devices. To download, search using MagnusCards®, then create a login to get started. Once inside, search for Kent District Library.
“The Sixties are now considered a historical period, just like the Roman Empire.“
~Dave Barry
The Vibe keynote speaker Josh George, a six-time Paralympic world champion and world record holder. (Courtesy/Josh George’s website)
I’m pickin’ up good vibrations
Get your tickets TODAY if you plan to attend The Vibe, a gala benefiting Kentwood Parks and Recreation’s adaptive recreation programs, on Friday, May 17. The Vibe will highlight the City’s adaptive water sports programs, which include kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, wake boarding and water skiing for all ages and abilities. Tickets for the semi-formal event are $100 per person and can be purchased online at kentwoodvibe.com or by calling 616-656-5270. More on the story here.
Tickets must be purchased in advance by Friday, May 10.
These boots are made for walkin’ (well…)
It’s not only elite athletes and experienced runners who are preparing for this weekend’s 42nd River Bank Run. For the ninth year, former and current residents of Dégagé Ministries Open Door Women’s Center will participate in the Amway River Bank 5k Walk. Dégagé’s walking group, the ‘Heartside All Stars for Health’, is a group of approximately 12 women who have overcome or are working to overcome things like poverty, addiction and homelessness. With the support of Dégagé’s staff and volunteers, the organization’s walking group totals nearly 30 people. For more information, go here.
Courtesy Air Zoo
Can’t get no satisfaction? Check out these six destinations
Bored? Don’t be. The Air Zoo, Binder Park Zoo, Gilmore Car Museum, Kalamazoo Nature Center, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, and the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) Bird Sanctuary and Manor House are partnering for the sixth year of the Southwest Michigan Cultural Membership Exchange. Guests presenting a valid membership card and photo ID from any of these organizations can enjoy free admission at any of the six destinations May 1–31. More here.
Fun fact:
$4,743
That’s what the average salary was in the U.S. in the 1960s. But then, a loaf of bread was 45 cents, the average new car cost $2,752, and gas was about 31 cents a gallon. Ah, yes. The good, old days.
It’s the little things that count when building a successful routine, according to professional speaker, corporate trainer, certified coach and author Michelle Steffes.
Steffes, who recently was honored as Byron Center’s Small Businessperson of the Year for 2019, sat down with WKTV volunteer anchor Meochia Thompson, to discuss the science of habits and how to build a successful routine.
“The science of habits is understanding how to manipulate the mechanics of your body to have habits that maintain,” Steffes said. “So it is looking at your life from the moment you wake up in the morning to when you close your eyes at night is really the key to maintaining longterm habits.
“We all have intrinsic alarms clocks inside that go off so we need to set those alarm clocks by forming behaviors that will help us repeat those habits again and again.”
Steffes has completed more than 10,000 hours of study in neuroscience, physiology, and human behavior. Her studies and passion to see people win inspired her to release her book, “Your Journey to Greatness Through Routine: A Step by Step Guide to Creating a Success Routine” last year. In the book, she teaches people how to develop a successful routine.
“A success routine has to have several components to it. You have to have a time to unplug, a specific time to motivate and inspire everyday,” Steffes said, adding that it is a not difficult to create a successful routine as you are exchanging one thing for another. She also pointed out that it is simple things such as changing what you listen to that make the biggest impacts.”
The book includes case studies and online tools to help people build those successful routines. Steffes said it can take anywhere for 21 to 30 days for a routine to become a habit as the brain builds new pathways for that specific routine.
Former Wyoming lieutenant Dan Bigalow (seated with ball cap) looks over the certificate he received with family and friends. Bigalow was honored during a special 60th anniversary celebration for the city’s police department which started in 1959. (WKTV)
For Dan Bigelow it all started when he came back from the Korean War in 1953.
“My brother-in-law stopped by the house and said he had put in an application to the Wyoming Police Department,” Bigelow said. “I thought if he could do it, so could I. So I put an application as well.
“I got hired and he didn’t and I have to say, it was not a bad decision.”
Bigelow along with Bill Catlin were honored during a special program celebrating the Wyoming Department of Public Safety’s 60th Anniversary. They each received a certificate and retired officer badge.
“I think you cannot build upon the future and look forward if you don’t know you history, where the community came from, what was the culture, what changes were made,” said Chief Kim Koster about the importance of celebrating those who have served the department.
Wyoming Township became the City of Wyoming Jan. 1, 1959, with the Wyoming Township Police Department becoming the City of Wyoming Police Department. Years later, the city’s fire and police departments merged to create the Wyoming Department of Public Safety.
Retired detective Bill Catlin (seated with Veterans hat) visits with friends and family. Ctalin also was honored during the 60th anniversary celebration. (WKTV)
Bigelow joined the Wyoming Township Police Department in 1955 and Catlin joined in 1956. They were among the 17 township officers who were part of the city’s first police force. Both followed the department through its many transitions, each serving the department for 33 years. Bigelow retired as a lieutenant in 1988 and Catlin as a detective in 1989.
In attendance at the event were several retires spanning the 60 years of the department, including former Chief Edward Edwardson, who along with others shared stories about the department. Capt. Kip Snyder talked about the history of the department. The department now has 86 sworn officers. About 45 are on road patrol with another 11 serving as detectives.
The department also has a forensic science department and a canine unit that includes four dogs, who Snyder admitted were often more popular than the officers. Koster said the department will be adding four new motorcycles this year, another item that is often popular with the public.
Bruce Fogerty, with his wife Doreen, has been retired from the department for 26 years. (WKTV)
“I really enjoyed the work,” said Bruce Fogerty, who has been retired from the department for 26 years. “This was a great way for us to get together and see people we haven’t seen in awhile.”
Also as part of the 60th anniversary for the police department, Senator Peter MacGregor and Rep. Tommy Brann presented the department with a proclamation from Brann, MacGregor, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at the City Council regular meeting on Monday, May 6.
Voters for both Kentwood Public Schools and Kelloggsville Public Schools passed millage renewal requests for their respected districts at yesterday’s election.
Kentwood Public Schools was seeking a renewal of its current 10-year operating millage, an assessment of 18 mills on non-homestead properties. The millage would be renewed through 2029. Voters approved the renewal 3198 to 786.
The millage provides approximately 16.9 percent, or more than $18.2 million, of the school district’s annual operating budget.
Kelloggsville voters were asked to renew the district’s operating millage, an assessment of 17 mills on non-homestead properties, and to increase that millage by .5 or 50 cents per $1,000 taxable valuation. The proposal passed 301 to 154.
The increase, according to the ballot language, is to help restore millage lost as a result of the reduction required by the “Headlee” amendment to the Michigan Constitution of 1963. The additional millage would raise about $2.6 million for the district in 2020. The Kelloggsville millage proposal is for two years.
