Category Archives: West Michigan

Michigan law makes fight for municipal broadband an uphill battle

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Hard News, Tech Trends, West Michigan, , , , , , ,

By Sheila McGarth
WKTV Contributing Writer

There are a number of reasons that a municipality may seek government-run broadband such as faster service at a lower cost, encourage economic development, and provide economic development. (pxhere.com)

For more than a decade, municipalities around the United States have been starting their own government-run broadband networks to bring high-speed internet to their residents. 

They might do so for a variety of reasons: to provide residents faster service at a lower cost, to encourage economic development, to provide high-speed internet to areas that private Internet Service Providers aren’t interested in serving, or to bring more economical connections to urban areas where residents can’t afford the service provided by private ISPs.

But due to laws on the books in Michigan, cities can face significant obstacles in starting their own network.

Michigan is one of 18 states that put restrictions on municipal broadband programs. Under the Metropolitan Extension Telecommunications Rights-of-Way Oversight Act of 2002, public entities can provide telecommunications services only if they have first requested bids for the services and received fewer than three qualified bids. They also must subject themselves to the same terms as those specified in their Request for Proposal.

 

Around the United States, measures regulating municipal broadband are enacted largely due to the influence of telecommunications companies wishing to be shielded from competition, according to MuniNetworks.org, a Community Broadband Networks Initiative of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

According to the Common Cause Education Fund, which tracked the spending of telecommunications companies for the years 2019 and 2020, Comcast spent $13 million on lobbying in 2019 and $14 million in 2020. The company spent $15 million on political contributions and expenditures in the 2020 election cycle. AT&T spent $11.5 million on lobbying in 2019, $11 million in 2020, and $13 million in political contributions in 2020.

Some small cities in the Michigan, such as Marshall, have been able to start their own network because they sent out a Request for Proposal and no ISPs responded, according to the Battle Creek Enquirer.

The City of Holland is hoping to be the next Michigan city to have its own fiber network available to all residents. Holland plans to expand an existing downtown network to every address in the city if voters approve a millage in August that would pay for its construction. The city’s Board of Public Works would run the fiber network as a public utility.

Holland is exempt from the Metro Act provisions because their fiber system predates the Metro Act, according to Ted Siler, utility services director for the city. They started it in the 1990s to connect their public utilities.

But even though the regulations don’t affect Holland’s plans to build a fiber network in the city, there are still parties pushing to stop it.

In late May, Holland residents began getting a “push poll” text from G1 Research. While purporting to be an opinion poll, the questions aligned with talking points by conservative commentators who believe municipal broadband networks place a unnecessary burden on taxpayers.

Daniel Morrison, a broadband activist who leads the civic group hollandfiber.org, said he didn’t know who was behind the push poll. All he had were “rumors and suspicions,” he said.

But he believes the Holland community supports the plan.

“I think the community is behind this because we have such a well-respected utility that takes good care of us,” he said. “It’s very clear to residents why a community-owned broadband utility fits in really well and would be an improvement over what they have now.”

Telecommunications companies aren’t the only ones trying to halt municipal broadband networks. Conservative lawmakers routinely introduce legislative restrictions because they feel municipal networks raise taxes and are not a cost-effective solution.

Holland representatives believe there is support to have a government-run broadband within their city.

Some studies have shown that municipal networks don’t attract enough users to pay for themselves. Elizabeth Hicks, U.S. affairs analyst at the advocacy group the Consumer Choice Center, cites a 2017 study by the University of Pennsylvania Law School concluding that of 20 municipal fiber projects that reported results of their municipal operations, 11 generated negative cash flow, and only two were on track to break even.

“What happens if there’s not enough consumers who end up signing up for the municipal broadband services or network? If that does happen – and what we see happen across the country with other municipal broadband networks – is the taxpayers within that municipality are stuck holding the bag for this failed network. So not only do they have a network that doesn’t work, but now they’re paying for it with their own tax dollars.”

But according to MuniNetworks.org, several of the cities that were subjects of the University of Pennsylvania Law School study disputed the accuracy of the numbers used in the calculations. The authors of the study issued a correction to some aspects of their report. The University of Pennsylvania released an updated study in January this year which again found that the actual performance of municipal broadband projects fell short of their financial forecasts.

Hicks said she believes everyone should have access to high-speed internet at reasonable prices, but that municipal networks are not the most effective way to do that. She said she has seen public-private partnerships work in rural areas where it’s cost-prohibitive to bring fiber. Cable and satellite service could be other options to consider, she said, or government subsidies for broadband in areas where there are ISPs providing service, but it’s too expensive for residents.

“There are a lot of unique solutions – I just don’t think jumping to a municipal broadband network should be the first one,” she said, adding that more than 200 communities nationwide currently offer municipal broadband, but only a small percentage of them have been successful.

In Holland, if the ballot measure passes, city residents will pay a millage of about $12.50 per month for building the system. Those who choose to connect would pay about $42 per month for service of 1 gigabit per second. The cost will depend on the “take rate,” in other words, how many people sign up. The more people who sign up for the service, the lower the cost will go.

Holland leaders are confident they will have the numbers needed to ensure success. The City and its Board of Public Works surveyed residents in 2018 and found that the vast majority of residents were in favor of a community-owned solution that provides high-speed internet access.

Morrison said demand for fiber connection in Holland’s existing downtown pilot project area has been strong. They have more than 200 customers in 150 buildings, he said.

The Covid pandemic and the lockdowns that followed brought the need for high-speed internet into sharp focus, he said.

“Everyone understands now the value of a good, reliable internet connection. We look at our very reliable utility that has been lowering electric rates, and say ‘We want (internet service) to be a utility just like water, sewer, or electricity.’ That’s what we want. We want to be in control of our own destiny. Not leave that up to a big telecom company.”

Holland to offer high-speed internet if Aug. 2 proposal passes

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Hard News, Local Business, Our Cities, Tech Trends, West Michigan, , ,

By Sheila McGrath
WKTV Contributing Writer

On Aug. 2, the City of Holland could join a short list of cities that has broadband as a city utility. (pxhere.com)

When Holland voters go to the polls on Aug. 2, they will decide on a milage proposal that would give residents a benefit that’s relatively rare in the United States: a publicly funded, city-wide broadband internet network available to anyone living within the city limits.

 

The Holland City Council voted in April to take the measure to the voters. Now, the city is immersed in a campaign to educate voters about the benefits of the proposal.

If the ballot measure passes, Holland would join cities like Chattanooga, Tennessee; Sandy, Oregon; Cedar Falls, Iowa, and several others spread around the country that have a broadband network run by the municipality.

“Covid made it very clear that home internet is not a luxury,” said Daniel Morrison, a local broadband advocate who runs Hollandfiber.org, a civic group that has long championed the idea. “I’ve been banging this drum for years – that it’s not just people’s Netflix. It’s a utility. Covid changed the perception of that. It’s how you work. It’s how you go to school, it’s how you do everything, It’s not just entertainment. But even entertainment is important too.”

If the ballot measure passes, the funds raised by the millage will extend a fiber network that already exists in the downtown area to the rest of the city. The network will be owned and maintained by the Holland Board of Public Works and operated in the same way as other utilities, such as water or electricity.

“For the average family, we expect this would give them better choice in internet providers and lower – possibly significantly lower – prices,” Morrison said. “Better service at a lower price is what we’re seeing.” 

Downtown business in Holland already have been enjoying the faster upload speeds offered by the city’s fiber connections. (pxhere.com)

Residents would be able to choose between several different Internet service providers that offer service packages using the new fiber network, bringing a more competitive environment. 

Residents would pay to hook up to the service – $820  per address – but would be allowed to pay that off at a cost of $7 per month for 10 years, according to hollandcityfiber.org, the city website explaining the proposal. A sample internet service bill provided by the city shows an estimated monthly cost of $42 for internet service – $7 for the monthly installment payment for connection,  $7 for internet access and $28 for maintenance of the network.

The millage would levy up to 1.5 mills in its first year, and about 1.12 each year after that for the life of the 25-year bond, according to hollandcityfiber.org. The millage would cost about $12.50 per month for the owner of a $200,000 home with a taxable value of $100,000. If approved, the project to run the fiber throughout the city would start in 2023 and be finished two years later.

Morrison said that for businesses in Holland, the service would let them take advantage of high-speed uploads they may not have had before. Businesses in the existing downtown service area are already reaping the benefits, he said.

“There are some companies in town that do video work and they’re able to upload finished projects crazy fast over our current downtown service area,” Morrison said. “It’s unlocking so much potential of high-speed, high-availability options for businesses outside the downtown area.”

Pete Hofswell, Holland’s broadband services superintendent, said Holland first developed a fiberoptic system in the early 1990s  to connect, monitor and control the city’s public utilities.

That system has been growing slowly ever since, but expanding broadband access to the rest of the city has been a priority for many years, with ongoing discussions between the city council and the board of public works, Hofswell said.

“City Hall would get back to us and challenge us, saying ‘How can you get this service into more people’s hands?’ They see the value of it. They want to connect everybody in our town.”

A survey of residents taken in 2021 showed that 65% believed community investment was needed to ensure sufficient broadband access for all, and more than 72% agreed that community based broadband would benefit the community, according to hollandcityfiber.org.

Because Holland has had its fiber optic network for decades, the city is in a unique position to expand its network without being hampered by regulations that might affect other communities attempting to put a publicly funded fiber network in place.

The services are governed by the Metropolitan Extension Telecommunications Rights-of-Way Oversight Act, Public Act 48 of 2002, and Michigan Telecommunications Act, Public Act 179 of 1991. In Michigan, public entities by law can provide telecommunications services only if they have first requested bids for the services and received fewer than three qualified bids. And they have to abide by same terms and conditions as those specified in their request for proposals.

But Ted Siler, utility services director for the city, said that because Holland has been providing broadband service for more than 30 years and its service predates the Metro Act, “we’re exempt and grandfathered in.”

Morrison said he’s not worried about regulation popping up to derail Holland’s plans. But other communities might not be so lucky.

“The telecom companies have had their hands in legislation for decades to try to prevent cities from doing what we’re doing. We’re lucky that we been doing this for 30 years in Holland so we’re unaffected by that legislation now,” he said. “But I feel bad for other communities that won’t  have the same luxury we do. It’s going to be harder for them.”

Annual Heritage Hill Weekend Tour of Homes is back and welcomes visitors

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Local Faces, Local History, Our Cities, Recreation, West Michigan, , , ,

By D.A. Reed
WKTV Contributing Writer

Jim Payne and Char Kruzich’s College Avenue home will be part of this year’s Heritage Hill Tour. (WKTV/D.A. Reed)

The annual Heritage Hill Weekend Tour of Homes is excited to welcome visitors May 21-22 after a two-year hiatus.

One of the country’s oldest urban historic districts, Heritage Hill has been heralded by “This Old House” as one of the country’s “Best Old House Neighborhoods.” The Heritage Hill Association encourages guests to explore seven homes of families who have courteously opened their doors, as well as two public buildings recently restored by Grand Rapids Community College.

More than 1,300 homes dating from 1843 compile Heritage Hill, and represent nearly every style of American architecture, from Greek Revival to Prairie. Since 1969, a varying line-up of seven to eight private homes and two to three historic buildings have been opened to the public each year with guides who share each building’s unique story and special features.

“This tour is a great opportunity to take a walk back in time,” Jim Payne, owner of Heritage Hill home located at 27 College Avenue NE, told WKTV. “Visitors get to experience different types of architecture and art and reflect on another era.”

The wood in the home is reflective of the original molding and floors. (WKTV/D.A. Reed)

Jim Payne and Char Kruzich opened the doors of their Heritage Hill home to this WKTV writer, willingly giving a tour of their well-loved and rehabilitated house. Built in 1882 and sporting the American Craftsman Style, 27 College Ave. is on the must-see list of homes on the Heritage Hill Tour.

Both freelance artists themselves, Jim and Char had a hand in every renovated detail, working closely for the more than 14 years with architect Mitch Witkowski and carpenter Tim Karsen and incorporating their own unique designs and artwork into their home. A distinctive integration into the residence are two art studios on the third floor, allowing the owners to “create while living in a work of art.”

Though almost all of the interior is new, Jim and Char kept the original floors of the home and even the original newel post to the staircase leading to the upper floors. “We kept the post and modeled the rest of the room and staircase around its original design,” Jim said.

A unique piece of history was found inside the walls of their historic home during the renovation. “There was a piece of trim from 1909, signed by the carpenter, inside the wall,” said Jim. “He had taped coins from that year to the wood.”

“Our carpenter did the same,” Char said with a smile. “He signed a piece of wood and then taped current coins to it before closing up the walls.”

While the inside of the home has been drastically altered, allowing better movement from room to room and improved airflow throughout the residence, the exterior has been restored to its original architectural design. Dormers and gables provide a complex façade and emphasize the Craftsman Style’s natural materials and fine craftsmanship.

When asked about restrictions for renovating their home due to the historic nature of the residence, Jim and Char said the only boundaries the Historic Preservation Commission, (HPC),  imposes on homeowners is in regard to the exterior of the homes.

“Color of paint is not restricted, but things that would alter the exterior of the home like windows, doors and railings, require HPC approval,” Jim said. “That way construction of decks and sliding glass doors, things that aren’t true to the era of the homes, are avoided.”

  • The exterior of the home at 27 College Ave. NE
  • The entrance
  • The dining area
  • The living room
  • Living space
  • Office space
  • Living area
  • An original post and molding

While there might be restrictions on outside renovations, Jim and Char said HPC has no boundaries on the interior of the home. This allows historic homeowners to preserve the exterior architecture while creating an interior that suits their personal tastes.

“They want you to be able to rehabilitate these homes,” Char said. “They want you to be able to raise families here. To live here, not just reside here.”

Jim agreed. “The Historic Preservation Commission was a great help during the remodel.”

The homeowners revealed that their neighborhood is like a second family. Moving to College Avenue in 1981, they rented a home for five years before buying their current home in 1986, giving them 40 years in their current community.

“Owners or renters, it doesn’t matter,” said Char. “We are all treated like family and are all close.”

The neighborhood even formed the North College Block Club, with families gathering socially many times a year. “Our own kitchen has seen a lot of action,” Char said as she tapped the counter next to her.

Jim and Char urge community members to come out and experience the masterpieces compiling Heritage Hill.

 

Advance tickets are $18 and can be found at www.heritagehillweb.org. To obtain tickets by check, send to the Heritage Hill Association, 126 College SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Tickets purchased on the days of the tour are $25.

Proceeds benefit the Heritage Hill Association’s programs that support the historic preservation of this unique neighborhood and assist with land use, planning, engaging neighbors and community resources, and crime prevention.

More information about the annual tour and the homes and businesses opening their doors can also be found at www.heritagehillweb.org or by calling 616-459-8950.

Caledonia Community Schools to honor beloved former orchestra teacher with concert tribute

3-bottom, Education, West Michigan, , ,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

A memory board in the middle school’s orchestra room celebrates the contributions and impact former orchestra teacher David Sowerby had on the staff and students. (Supplied)

Caledonia Community Schools is honoring the district’s beloved former orchestra teacher by dedicating the middle school’s final orchestra concert, set for Tuesday, May 10, to him.

David Sowerby died on Nov. 13, 2021 after a long battle with Crohn’s Disease. Since Sowerby’s passing, students and staff at Caledonia Community Schools have rallied together to honor his memory. Sowerby is remembered as an amazing, inspirational teacher who made people laugh, and a loving husband and father.

The final Caledonia Middle School orchestra concert for this year will be at 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 10 at Duncan Lake Middle School, 9757 Duncan Lake Ave., and the theme for the concert is “Inspired by Mr. Sowerby.” The concert will include several special performances such as “Fantasia on an Original Theme,” which Caledonia High School students have been invited to perform along with the middle school orchestra.

“When David passed, I knew we needed to do something to honor his memory and contributions to our music program,” said Megan Anderson, interim Intermediate and Middle School orchestra director. “I wanted to let the students grieve his passing but also remember all the wonderful things about him. We discussed as a class what we should do and determined a musical tribute to David would be most fitting.”

“When we heard about Mr. Sowerby’s passing, we decided to do something that will keep his memory alive in our school,” said Landry Hammond and Hannah Bennet, eighth-grade orchestra students. “We were sad together, and I think we were able to manage our grief by using music as an outlet.”

A portrait of David Sowerby by Caledonia art teacher Christine Cosgrove. (Supplied)

In addition to the concert, students and staff have installed memory boards in Sowerby’s former orchestra classroom, complete with photos, memories from students, and a drawing of Sowerby by a Caledonia Community Schools art teacher Christine Cosgrove.

“At that time the students approached me about creating a portrait of Mr. Sowerby to add to their collection,” Cosgrove said. “I felt very honored to be able to offer something that I love to do to remember Mr. Sowerby and it was such a great way to honor him while also unifying the arts.“

Empowering messages through music, meet the Epitones

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Local Entertainment, Local Faces, Recreation, Upcoming Events, West Michigan, , , ,

By John D. Gonzalez
WKTV Contributing Writer

The Epitones was one of three finalists in The Stray Cafe’s first Battle of the Bands competition held in March. (Courtesy/The Stray Cafe)

Original music should tell a story in a “unique way,” says drummer Matt DeRuiter of the Epitones.

“We strive to share empowering messages and love through our music, along with creating an environment for people to express themselves while listening,” he says in a recent email to WKTV Journal.

His band was one of the three finalists in a recent Battle of the Band competition at The Stray Café located in Wyoming.

Influenced heavily by Pink Floyd and Umphrey’s McGee, DeRuiter says the self-taught trio from Grand Rapids describe their sound as “Psychedelic Rock.” The group also includes lead guitarist/vocalist Chris Gill and bassist Colin Darling.

DeRuiter answered a few other questions about the band.

WKTV Journal: How did the band get its name?

DeRuiter:  We spent quite a long time trying to settle on a name and decided on this as both of our guitarists are tone junkies, continue to experiment with new techniques and tones, and are consistently refining their sound. We got the idea from “Epic Tones” and then combined it to be Epitones.

WKTV: How did you get together?

DeRuiter: We formed as a three-piece in 2018, though we have all been friends playing together on and off casually and in different projects since 2012.

WKTV: What are the band’s goals?

The Epitones formed in 2018. (Courtesy/The Stray Cafe)

DeRuiter: We hope to wrap up a few singles this year and to continue playing larger shows. This is our first year playing festivals such as Cowpie, so we hope to continue playing more festivals, new venues, and to work with bigger bands in the area.

WKTV: How do you describe the West Michigan music scene?

DeRuiter: Being relatively new to the scene it has been somewhat difficult to gain traction, especially during Covid. Though as we continue to play more shows we have gained a steady following and are starting to get some more recognition as a band. This Battle of The Bands was a great way to share our music and network with fellow musicians.

Upcoming Performances:

Playing at the Deck in Muskegon June 26 and July 24, playing Dunesville Music Festival, Cowpie Music Festival, and Walk the Beat in Grand Haven.

Learn more about the band on its Facebook Page.

John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.

Paddle Antrim warns paddlers to take extra caution during early season outings

3-bottom, Environment, Recreation, Upcoming Events, Weather, West Michigan, , ,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Paddle Antrim warns paddlers to take precautions to protect themselves from heightened dangers of sudden, unexpected cold-water immersion while on early season paddling outings.

It has been a slow start to spring in Northern Michigan and the water remains colder than usual this time of year. While paddlers and boaters are itching to get out on the water, Paddle Antrim warns paddlers to take precautions to protect themselves from heightened dangers of sudden, unexpected cold-water immersion while on early season paddling outings.

While spring is in the air and outside temperatures are warming, lake temperatures are much cooler. When water temperatures are below 70 degrees, paddlers should wear a wetsuit or a full immersion dry suit with insulating layers. Sudden immersion in cold water can cause gasping and inhalation of water and hypothermia, resulting in unconsciousness or swimming failure as muscles become numb. Wearing a life jacket may keep your head above water and support your body should your swimming ability fail, or you become unconscious.

“We encourage people to get out and enjoy the water, but we also want to make sure people are safe at all times,” says Paddle Antrim Executive Director, Deana Jerdee. “Changing winds, stronger than usual currents, equipment failure – these are just a few unexpected elements that can cause paddlers to end up in dangerous situations. No one is ever expecting to fall in while paddling but it happens, and paddlers need to dress for being in the water, not for the air temperature.”

Cold water claims the lives of experienced and inexperienced paddlers each year. Please take the extra precautions to ensure your safety. Here are the five steps paddlers need to take before heading out on the water for any period:

  • Always wear a properly fitted life jacket. Simply stated, life jackets save lives;
  • Dress for the water temperature;
  • Avoid boating alone and always let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return. Have a cell phone or VHF radio accessible, in a watertight bag, should you need to call for help;
  • Carry essential safety gear, signaling devices and whistles; and
  • Refrain from using alcohol.

Redistricting, retirements mean less clout in Congress

3-bottom, Election, gov-order, West Michigan, , , ,

By Eric Freedman
Capital News Service

LANSING – Regardless of which candidates win the November election for Michigan’s congressional seats and which party secures control of Congress, two important changes will be visible on Capitol Hill in January with serious implications for the state’s national clout.

First, Michigan’s delegation will shrink by one seat – from 14 to 13 – due to redistricting.

That’s because Michigan’s population stagnated during the past decade while the population of other states grew. In total, seven states are each losing one seat, including neighboring Ohio, with their reallocation to states in the West and South.

That grim reality sets a messy stage for the second major change: the departure of at least three familiar faces.

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, Michigan’s longest-serving representative, will not run for another term.
U.S. House of Representatives: U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, Michigan’s longest-serving representative, will not run for another term.

Redistricting led U.S. Rep. Benda Lawrence, a liberal Democrat from Southfield, to retire rather than seek a fifth term. She’s the only African American in the Michigan delegation and a member of the powerful Appropriations Committee.

“As we have a new redistricting map, a new generation of leaders will step up,” Lawrence said in announcing her decision.

Redistricting also induced U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, the state’s longest-serving member, to withdraw from a contentious primary with fellow U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga of Zeeland. Redistricting put the two conservatives into the same district.

Upton, now in his 18th term, chaired the Energy and Commerce Committee when the GOP controlled the House.

But he faced a steep uphill battle to stay in Congress because of his vote to impeach then-President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Huizenga.

Announcing his retirement on the House floor, Upton said, “Even the best of stories has a last chapter.

“This is it for me. I’ve done the zillions of airline miles back and forth, have signed ‘Fred’ to over a million letters, cast more votes than anyone in this chamber while here and, by most accounts, have succeeded in making a difference accomplishing what I have set out to do with more unfinished work still yet to come.”

In suburban Detroit, liberal U.S. Reps. Haley Stevens of Rochester Hills and Andy Levin of Bloomfield Township are fighting each other in the Aug. 2 Democratic primary. Both chair subcommittees, Stevens in the Science, Space and Technology Committee and Levin in the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Only one will survive the primary.

Bill Ballenger, the publisher of the political newsletter “Ballenger Report” and a former state legislator and Cabinet member, said the changes will make it tougher for Michigan when it comes to federal appropriations, COVID relief and other aid from Washington.

U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Southfield, will not seek a fifth term after redistricting.
U.S. House of Representatives: U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Southfield, will not seek a fifth term after redistricting.

“It’s got to hurt the state’s ability to leverage influence in the Congress in the state’s direction,” said Ballenger, who once ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House in a Republican primary.

He said the state’s clout is already much weaker than in the 1990s and early 2000s when the delegation contained long-serving members who chaired powerful committees and subcommittees, U.S. Reps. John Dingell of Trenton, Dale Kildee of Flint and John Conyers Jr. of Detroit.

Upton and Lawrence are far from alone in stepping down. As of April 6, 48 House members had announced they aren’t running again, according to Ballotpedia.org.

The average two-year election cycle sees 71 House members leaving, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service said in a recent report.

“Members leave for a variety of reasons,” the report said. “Those could include resignation, death or chamber action,” a reference to expulsion for misconduct. The number includes defeated incumbents and ones who opted to seek other offices.

In addition, there’s no guarantee that voters will return all the state’s other incumbents to Washington.

Incumbent Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit and GOP Reps. John Moolenaar of Midland, Peter Meijer of Grand Rapids, Tim Walberg of Tipton and Lisa McClain of Romeo all face primary opponents.

 

Neither of the state’s Democratic senators, Debbie Stabenow of Lansing or Gary Peters of Bloomfield Township, are up for reelection this year.

Eric Freedman is professor of journalism and former associate dean of International Studies and Programs. During his 20-year newspaper career, he covered public affairs, environmental issues and legal affairs for newspapers in New York and Michigan, winning a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of a legislative corruption scandal. He teaches environmental journalism and serves as director of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism. He also teaches public affairs reporting, international journalism, feature writing and media law and serves as director of the school’s Capital News Service

Building on last year’s success, The 49507 Project embarks on second summer

3-bottom, Going Local, Local Business, Local Faces, Our Cities, West Michigan, , , ,

By Sheila McGrath
WKTV Contributing Writer

Art will be in bloom again this summer on Grand Rapids’ south side.

The 49507 Project, launched in 2021, has lined up another summer of public art, education and listening sessions to change the narrative about the neighborhood in southeast and southwest Grand Rapids and help current residents claim it as their own.

Last summer saw the creation of seven new murals throughout the 49507 ZIP code, mostly at businesses with Black and Brown owners.

“Seven incredibly beautiful murals were brought to life by seven different Black and Brown artists,” said Marcel “Fable” Price, executive director of The Diatribe, the nonprofit that is spearheading the project. “We did mural unveilings for those, and the community really came out and showed up.”

Last year’s murals were painted at La Casa De La Cobija, Public Thread, Boost Mobile, 40 Acres Headquarters, The South East Market, Grand Rapids Area Black Businesses and The Old Goat.

“I think we all had our eyes opened to our neighborhood in a way  that we didn’t see before,” Price said. “More importantly, we showed people that projects like this are possible, and that we can make our neighborhoods look like we live here.”

The 49507 Project is being funded by a coalition of nearly a dozen businesses, foundations, neighborhood groups and city organizations. It is slated to run through 2023.

As part of the project, Petersen Research Consultants conducted a survey of community attitudes both before and after The 49507 Project began to assess whether perceptions of the neighborhood might change. According to a news release, a survey after the first year showed that residents felt the art represented how “we see things – colorful, vibrant, and a beautiful side of our culture.”

Business owners reported an improvement in perceptions of the neighborhood and saw increased foot traffic, the survey showed. Media results revealed an increase in positive news stories about the 49507 ZIP code within a year.

This summer, eight more murals are in the works and should be completed by August, Price said. They will be painted at the following locations:

  • Samaria J’s Salon Suite, 701 Grandville Ave SW 
  • Load A Spud, 1721 Madison Ave SE 
  • Farmers Insurance, 2435 Eastern Ave SE 
  • Mr. B’s Party Store, 1216 Kalamazoo Ave SE 
  • Aleman Auto Repair, 1801 Division Ave S. 
  • Cisneros Tires, 800 Division Ave S. 
  • 1956 Eastern Ave. 
  • 1935 Eastern Ave.

Art is just one aspect of the 49507 project. Listening sessions for both adults and young people were held last year, and several more of those events have already taken place this spring.

Educational sessions at Ottawa Hills High School, the Southwest Community Campus and Grand Rapids Public Museum School taught young people about the history of their neighborhoods, including the history of redlining, and about their fair housing rights.

Organizers hope that the 49507 Project will have a positive reach and if all goes well may extend into the Wyoming and Kentwood communities. (Supplied)

“We encourage them to get involved civically in their neighborhoods and teach them about ways that they can create change, get involved in the community and really share their voice and opinions,” Price said.

He said one of the things they have learned from listening sessions is that young people are looking for more activities in their neighborhoods. They’d love to see an amphitheater for concerts, and just more things to do in general.

In the community listening sessions, Price said he hears elders talk about all the programming and activities available for young people in days gone by.

“Now, when it comes summertime and there’s violence, we’re so up in arms, like ‘Why is this happening?’” he said. “We’re not continuing to offer programs, solutions, outlets, and invest in the community in the way we have in different points in time.”

Anyone who would like to get involved in The 49507 Project can learn more about volunteer opportunities and events on the website at thediatribe.org/the49507project/.

Price also encourages people to spread the word about the project on social media, and visit the area often.

“Come and enjoy the art but also support the businesses,” he said. “There’s some incredible food and incredible culture in our neighborhood, so please, immerse yourself.”

Kent County official praises plan to repair state bridges

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Great Lakes, West Michigan, , ,

By Sydney Bowler
Capital News Service

LANSING – From 2017 to 2021, the number of bridges in poor condition in Michigan increased from 1,146 to 1,240, according to the National Bridge Inventory.

A recently launched bridge bundling program by the Department of Transportation (MDOT) will tackle those numbers and is expected to repair up to 78 locally owned bridges that are in serious or critical condition, according to Dan Weingarten, the MDOT Superior region communications representative.

The pilot program, which began early March, will start repairs for 19 bridges this year.

The bundling program covers multiple bridge locations under one contract and repairs are already underway at five of the 19 bridges in Jackson, Macomb, Lapeer, Clinton and Ottawa counties.

The other 14 are in Clinton, Eaton, Hillsdale, Ingham, Lenawee, Lapeer, Livingston, Luce, Jackson, Macomb, Muskegon, Ottawa, St. Clair and St. Joseph counties.

“Michigan has aging bridge infrastructure and we have faced decades of underinvestment. Basically, bridges have been deteriorating faster than we can repair or replace them. This has created a growing inventory of bridges in poor condition,” said Weingarten.

The 19 bridges in Phase I were deemed high priority, Weingarten said.

Repair work underway on the abutment for the Byron Road bridge over the Black River in Ottawa County.
Michigan Department of TransportationRepair work underway on the abutment for the Byron Road bridge over the Black River in Ottawa County.

According to Weingarten, bridges are inspected at least every 24 months, but complex, moveable and large bridges are inspected more frequently. Bridges rated “poor” may be inspected as frequently as every six months, depending on the condition and details involved.

“People should not worry when they cross over or under a bridge. Bridges are inspected regularly and, if the bridge is open, it’s safe. MDOT and local agency bridge owners close unsafe bridges,” he said.

The repaired bridges could last up to 50 years before needing to be fixed again and could potentially last even longer with maintenance projects, Weingarten said.

The second phase of the project could repair or remove up to 59 other bridges. This phase focuses on closed or weight-restricted bridges, according to MDOT.

“The pilot project is being funded by Federal Highway Improvement Program dollars. Then, late last year, $196 million in federal COVID relief funds were appropriated,” Weingarten said. “This will allow the state to execute Phase II of the bridge bundling program, beginning later this year.”

 

The program has been backed at all levels, from federal to state to local.

“This is the most supportive program from the state for local bridges that I’ve ever seen,” said Wayne Harrall, the deputy managing director for engineering at the Kent County Road Commission in a press release. “The MDOT Bureau of Bridges has engaged with local agencies from the beginning, before there was even funding allocated to the effort.”

The County Road Association says the program is a great concept and would like it to bear some fruit in cost savings, according to Ed Noyola, its deputy director. The association represents 83 road agencies and provides legislative, operational and engineering advice.

But its main concern is that the project may run out of funding before work on all bridges is complete.

“Costs have gone up exponentially, and it’s a problem,” Noyola said. “The cost of material and labor is just going through the roof, and bridge projects are probably the most costly of all the road work that’s done that’s gone up.”

Weingarten said federal COVID relief funding for Phase II requires the money to be allocated by 2024 and spent by 2029, and MDOT intends to finish Phase II by then.

According to the National Bridge Inventory, a U.S. Department of Transportation database, there are 11,284 bridges in the state.

MDOT estimates it would cost $2 billion to get all state-owned bridges up to good or fair condition, and an additional $1.5 billion to do the same for all local government-owned bridges.

Weingarten said that MDOT bridge staff and consultants are doing the design and construction administration work, as well as providing engineering and contract negotiation expertise.

Three seek Wyoming mayor position along county and state candidates

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Our Cities, We The People, West Michigan, , , , , , ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Tuesday, April 19, was the last day for candidates to file for the upcoming fall elections with the residents of both the cities of Kentwood and Wyoming have several new faces, and a few familiar ones, to consider for federal, state, and local government positions.

City of Wyoming

Wyoming City Hall. (WKTV)

With Mayor Jack Poll’s announcement that he would be retiring at the end of his term, three candidates have put their hats in the ring for the City of Wyoming’s mayor position, which is a nonpartisan four-year seat. Two of the candidates are long-time council members, Kent Vanderwood and current Mayor Pro Tem Sam Bolt and the third is a newcomer, Cliff Tompkins, who owns the Wyoming business Hair by Cliff.

The top two candidates from the Aug. 2 primary will face off in the Nov. 8 general election. Also in November, Wyoming residents will be selecting two Council Members at Large, four-year terms, from three candidates, Robert A. Arnoys, Renee Hill, and Robert Kilgo. First Ward Council Member Sheldon DeKryer is running unopposed for his four-year term.

City of Kentwood

While there are no City of Kentwood seats open for this year’s election cycle, the city is seeking a permanent recreation and trails millage of one mill in the Aug. 2 primary. If levied, the additional 1.0 mill is estimated to raise $2,345,537 in the first calendar year of the levy.

Kent County Commissioners

The Kent County Board of Commissioners (from a 2019 meeting). (Supplied/Kent County)

Like the federal and state governments, the Kent County Board of Commissioners also completed a redistricting.

The redistricting adds two new district to Kent County for a total of 21 districts. One of those new districts, District 20, would encompass the norther portion of the City of Wyoming (Godfrey-Lee Public Schools area) along with some southern portions of the City of Grand Rapids, such as Roosevelt Park, Black Hills, and Burton Heights. It has been indicated by officials that the goal was to create a largely Hispanic district (the area is more than 50 percent Hispanic) to provide a voice to the county commission of the area’s largest minority group.

There are five candidates vying for the 20th District spot, two Democrats and three Republicans. The Democrats are Ivan Diaz and Charles Howe. The Republicans are Elisa Rodriguez, Alan Bolter, and Walter Bujak.

Other Kent County Districts that will be on the Aug. 2 Primary will be the 10th District, which through redistricting now includes a portion of the City of Kentwood, will be Republicans Emily Post Brieve (incumbent) and Bill Hirsch. The winner of the Republican race will face Democrat Julie Humphreys in November.

In the 12th District, Republicans Lee White and Adam R. Palasek will face off in the primary with the winner then moving on to face Democrat Monica Sparks (incumbent) in November.

The other Kent County district races within the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood have only one Democrat and Republican which means all those races will go straight to the November ballot. Those districts are:

7th District, which includes a western portion of Wyoming along with Grandville. Candidates: Republican Stan Ponstein (incumbent) and Democrat Sue Merrell.

8th District, which covers most of Wyoming. Candidates: Republican Dan Burrill (incumbent) and Democrat Jennie Chatman.

9th District, which includes a portion of southern Wyoming along with all of Byron Center. Candidates: Republican Matt Kallman (incumbent) and Democrat Chip LaFleur.

For a look at the district map of state and county, click here.


State House of Representatives and Senate

Both the cities of Kentwood and Wyoming will be under the 29th District for the state Senate. (Supplied)

Redistricting has changed both the state’s Senate and House of Representative seats for the two cities.

For the Senate, both the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood will be part of the 29th District state Senate seat which also includes Grandville and East Grand Rapids along with portions of Grand Rapids Township and Grand Rapids east of the Grand River and south of Fulton Street. Two Republicans have put in their names, Tommy Brann, who is terming out this year from the 77th District state House seat, and Andrew Kroll. The winner of the Aug. 2 primary will face Democratic incumbent Winnie Brinks in November.

For the state House, the City of Wyoming is split between two districts. Most of the City of Wyoming will be part of the 83rd District along with a north portion of Grand Rapids (the Roosevelt Park area) and the Cutlerville area. There are three Democrats and one Republican vying for the seat. In the Aug. 2 primary, the Democrats, John Fitzgerald, Jose Flores, and Keith Courtade will compete to advance to the November election, where the winner will then run against Republican Lisa DeKryger.

A portion of the eastern border of Wyoming is part of the 82nd District of the House of Representatives. There are three Democrats and two Republicans seeking nomination in the Aug. 2 primary. The Democrats are Salim Mohammed Al-Shatel, Kristian Grant, and Robert Womack. The Republicans are William Alexander and Ryan Malinoski.

The City of Kentwood will join Cascade and East Grand Rapids for the 80th District House of Representative seat. Two Democrats will be competing in the Aug. 2 primary, Lily Cheng-Schulting and Phil Skaggs. The winner will then run against Republican Jeffrey Johnson in the Nov. 8 election.

Voter Information

For more information on voter registration, absentee ballots, voting locations and how to apply to be an election worker in Kentwood, visit kentwood.us/elections or contact the City Clerk’s Office at elections@kentwood.us or 616-698-9610.

In Wyoming, visit click here or contact the City Clerk’s office at clerk_info@wyomingmi.gov or call 616-530-7296.

More election information is available at michigan.gov/vote.

Shoreline shipwreck viewing predicted to be excellent this summer

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Environment, Great Lakes, Kids Activities, Local Entertainment, Local History, Recreation, Travel, West Michigan, , , ,

By Jim DuFresne
Capital News Service

LANSING – Some trails break out of the woods at a lake. Some climb a dune to a sweeping view.

And many – more than you probably thought – lead to a shipwreck with a story on a beach.

This summer could be excellent for shoreline shipwreck viewing as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicts that the water level of lakes Michigan and Huron could be almost 2 feet below the record highs set in 2020.

Michigan’s fascinating maritime history is not limited to old lighthouses or restored life-saving stations.

 

Remains of the Francisco Morazan off South Manitou Island at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Jim DuFresne, MichiganTrailMaps.com.Remains of the Francisco Morazan off South Manitou Island at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

The state is blessed with accessible shipwrecks that don’t require an air tank or a wetsuit to view – only a pair of hiking boots, a paddle or a snorkel and mask.

The heart of shipwreck territory is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, but there are others, including a wreck in Thompson’s Harbor State Park in Presque Isle County and more off the shore of the Upper Peninsula’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Michigan’s shoreline wrecks are constantly evolving, depending on wave action, shifting sand and Great Lake water levels.

High and dry for easy viewing this summer will be one of Michigan’s newest exposed wrecks, the Jennie and Annie.

The 137-foot schooner, built in 1863, was rounding Sleeping Bear Point in November 1872 when gale-force winds pushed it into the shallows and reefs of Lake Michigan’s notorious Manitou Passage. The ship, its 10-member crew and a cargo of corn were driven aground 9 miles south near Empire. Only three crew members survived.

Gone forever? Hardly. For the past two summers, a substantial piece of the hull has been visible on a Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore beach.

Here is a landlubber’s guide to other great Michigan shipwrecks:

City of Boston: Built in Cleveland in 1863, this 136-foot-long wooden steamer also featured a mast – and a history of bad luck.

In 1868, it collided with another steamer and sank in the Straits of Mackinac. When the steamship was raised 125 feet two years later, it was the deepest salvage ever attempted in the Great Lakes up to that time.

After being rebuilt in Cleveland, the ship returned to service as a stream barge, only to finally meet its end on Nov. 4, 1873, during a storm with blinding snow.

It was hauling flour and corn when it ran aground on a sand bar just off Green Point Dunes Nature Preserve in Benzie County. The raging surf quickly broke the hull, and the crew abandoned ship.
The ship’s remains are west of the preserve’s beach access stairway, 150 to 200 feet from shore, depending on water levels. It’s angled in 7 to 8 feet of water, with its stern buried in the sand bar and its bow occasionally less than 4 feet below the lake’s surface. It’s easy snorkeling, and visitors can see the outline of the bow in clear water from the preserve’s second observation deck.

James McBride: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a graveyard for shipwrecks, including this 121-foot brig built in 1848 and lost in October 1857. A November storm in 2014 washed up a 43-foot-long section of the James McBride, making it the largest shipwreck ever to appear on the park’s shoreline.

Francisco Morazan: On Nov. 27, 1960, this Liberian freighter left Chicago bound for Holland with 940 tons of cargo, a crew of 13, its captain and his pregnant wife.

Remains of a wreck at Lake Superior’s AuSable Reef as seen from a Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore trail.
Jim DuFresne, MichiganTrailMaps.com.Remains of a wreck at Lake Superior’s AuSable Reef as seen from a Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore trail.

The next day, the ship ran into 40-mile-per-hour winds, snow and fog that made for a virtual whiteout.

The captain thought he was rounding Beaver Island, more than 100 miles away, when he ran aground on the south side of South Manitou Island.

A Coast Guard cutter and helicopter rescued the 15 people, but left the wreck behind to be forever battered by Lake Michigan.

Today it’s the most popular destination for campers on the island. The wreck is also popular with kayakers who bring their boats over on the ferry.


American Union: This 186-foot, three-masted schooner was one of the largest sailing ships to work the Great Lakes when launched in 1862. Its size ultimately led to its demise when it encountered a fatal storm in 1894 that grounded it at Thompson’s Harbor State Park, northwest of Alpena. The crew was saved, and today the wreckage rests a quarter-mile from shore in 10 feet of crystal-clear Lake Huron water.

The remains of the hull offer viewing opportunities for snorkelers and kayakers.

AuSable Reef Wrecks: From Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore’s Hurricane River Campground, visitors can head east on the Lakeshore Trail and pass several wrecks, then end up at the AuSable Light Station built to protect the ships.

The first wreck, the Mary Jarecki, lies just outside the campground. The wooden bulk freighter was carrying iron ore and grounded on the AuSable Reef in July 1883. When other boats couldn’t tow it off, the ship was left to be battered by Lake Superior.

Its remains are just offshore and are challenging to see if there is a chop on the lake surface. 

But a hike further down the trail leads to timbers and ironwork from two wrecks half-buried in the sand.

The first is the Sitka, a wooden freighter that grounded and broke in half in 1904.

The second is the Gale Staples, built in 1881. The wooden freighter was loaded with coal when it beached itself on the sandy reef in 1918.

America: On June 6, 1928, this tourist ship was loaded with crates of fresh fruit and 48 passengers when it left a resort on Isle Royale National Park’s Washington Island and, within a half-mile, struck a reef.

It sank within sight of horrified hotel employees and guests back at the dock.
No deaths occurred, but bushels of fresh fruit washed ashore for weeks after the mishap.

Even more unusual, the ship sank in a vertical position, with one end lying less than 3 feet below the surface of Lake Superior.

Curious visitors can rent a canoe in Windigo and paddle out of Washington Harbor into the North Gap, where a buoy marks the ship’s location. Lake Superior is so clear it’s amazing how much is visible from a canoe seat.

Jim DuFresne is the editorial director at MichiganTrailMaps.com and an MSU Journalism School alum.

Real estate market still red hot, but could slow down

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Finances, Hard News, Local Business, West Michigan, , ,

By Sydney Bowler
Capital News Service

 by Redfin, a full-service real estate brokerage, found that 68.8% of home offers written by Redfin agents nationally faced competition in February. (pxhere.com)

LANSING – “Pretty much every offer I put was a shot in the dark, where you’d just cross your fingers and pray and hope that it gets accepted,” said Corbin Holwerda of Grand Rapids.

 

Holwerda is a first-time homebuyer who has been looking for a house in Grand Rapids since mid-January.

 

“I’ve put in seven or eight offers, and it’s really tough because half of those I’m losing to all-cash offers,” he said. “I’m still a young adult. I don’t have $250,000 in the bank that I can just front and put up for a house.”

A recent study by Redfin, a full-service real estate brokerage, found that 68.8% of home offers written by Redfin agents nationally faced competition in February. That’s the highest share reported by its agents since at least April 2020.

“Even if we are able to go above asking (price), there are still people waiving inspections and going $50,000, $60,000 or $70,000 above asking in some cases,” Holwerda said.

According to a new Congressional Research Service report, the main factor causing record-high home prices is that more people are looking to buy houses than there are houses for sale.

Cash offers can help the sale of a home move more quickly. (pxhere.com)

It’s a question of supply and demand, the report said.

“We have people selling homes with 40 offers on one home,” said Shirley Smith, the executive officer of the Hillsdale County Board of Realtors.

“There is a huge amount of competition right now, and the reason for that is because inventory is low. House prices have been going up the last few years and inventory has not increased appreciably,” Smith said.

“I think we’re also seeing more cash offers because those are the offers that get accepted more quickly,” she said.

Sometimes offers are contingent on the sale of the buyer’s current home, a bank loan or inspections to be done, and that can take more time, she said.

But cash offers move the process along more quickly.

“Generally, when we have high housing prices like this, it doesn’t go on forever. I think I, and most Realtors, expect that in the not-so-distant future there will be a change in the trend,” she said.

According to Smith, projections from the National Association of Realtors say housing prices may increase 5% in the coming year, which is much lower than several years past.

 

“That might be a tapering off in the market,” she said.

According to the Case-Shiller Detroit Home Price Index, home prices in Detroit have gone up about 8.6% per year since January 2012. But from January 2021 to January 2022, prices rose 13.9%.

That can be compared with neighboring states’ large cities, like Cleveland, rising 13.3% and Chicago, rising 12.5%. Nationally, home prices rose 19.1% from January 2021 to January 2022, according to Case-Shiller’s national data.

“The interesting thing here (regarding the increases) is that in traditional years, only 3 to 5% of the housing on the market is actually new houses,” said Wayne State University economics professor Allen Goodman.

“As a result, most housing supply occurs kind of above the middle of the market. We don’t allow people to build new, low-quality houses,” said Goodman, who specializes in housing and health economics.

He said some new houses are resold multiple times and “as a result, the housing gets toward the upper end of the market, and what’s left there is sometimes said to filter down to other buyers.”

“A lot of this goes back to COVID, in part,” said Goodman. “To keep the economy growing, the federal government and Federal Reserve banks have had what were historically low interest rates. What it meant was that people who wanted to buy houses were faced with mortgage rates of like 3%.”

A combination of low interest rates and a smaller-than-traditional supply lead to increases in the price of housing. (pxhere.com)

“A combination of low interest rates and a smaller-than-traditional supply lead to increases in the price of housing,” Goodman said.

Monitoring estimates of the value of his own Huntington Woods home over the years, Goodman said it lost half its value from 2007 to 2009.

 

The value can vastly change by month. In one recent month, his home’s value was estimated to have increased around $30,000, but in a previous month it was estimated to have dropped $20,000.

“But really over the past year, it’s pretty much been the same, at least according to Zillow,” he said, referring to the online real estate-market national company.


Capital News Service is provided by the Spartan News Room located at Michigan State University. CNS reporters cover state government for member newspapers and digital media outlets across the state of Michigan.

BHSH System and GVSU join forces to offer new nursing scholar program

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Health, Local Business, Our Cities, West Michigan, , , , , ,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Grand Valley State University and BCSH Systems, which includes Spectrum Health, have partner to offer a Nurse Scholar program. (Supplied)

Two of Michigan’s largest institutions have created what they hope will be a model for the nation in addressing the severe talent shortage in nursing. Leaders from BHSH System and Grand Valley State University have announced a partnership with the creation of the BHSH Spectrum Health West Michigan Nurse Scholar program. The partnership is designed to increase the nursing talent pipeline by taking away financial barriers to college and smoothing the educational path to employment at BHSH Spectrum Health West Michigan.

 

The health system is investing more than $19 million to provide infrastructure, start-up costs and resources for increased clinical placements, training and other support for students in the program. This includes grant dollars for all BHSH Spectrum Health West Michigan Nurse Scholars. Grand Valley will increase infrastructure support for students in the areas of financial aid, curriculum enhancements, technology and equipment, student support services, simulation enhancements and clinical experiences.

The BHSH Spectrum Health West Michigan Nurse Scholar partnership will create an opportunity for nearly 500 additional students to pursue a career in nursing over the next six years. The university will assume all future infrastructure costs and maintain a permanent increase in the number of students admitted to its Kirkhof College of Nursing, creating a lasting impact for our community, state and region. More than 92 percent of all GVSU graduates within the health professions stay in Michigan.

              

A federal workforce analysis shows Michigan currently has a nursing shortage for its population, and that shortage has been exacerbated by the burnout and stress caused by the pandemic. Leaders at BHSH System and GVSU say the creative solution they’ve designed will build a stronger talent pipeline, and the partnership can serve as a model and inspiration to enterprises, universities, communities and governments to solve the nation’s talent shortages.

“We challenged ourselves to be bold: What can we do, together with GVSU, to permanently increase access to education, strengthen nursing education programs and invest in talented, compassionate people who want to become nurses?” said Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO, BHSH System (formerly Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health). “Our teams delivered a joint, innovative proposal that expands opportunities for up to 500 future nurses and can be the model for others to emulate. We are incredibly excited about the nurse scholar program and the impact this will have in health care, for individual learners and for future generations.”

Grand Valley President Philomena V. Mantella said the agreement is a perfect example of how educational institutions and enterprises can partner quickly and efficiently to address talent shortages.

“These talent gaps hold us back or put us at risk,” said Mantella. “We have many dedicated and talented students who want to pursue nursing, but we needed the creativity and support of our partners at BHSH System to make the expansion of nursing possible and affordable for more talented and diverse students. This program is a huge leap forward and a model for other high need fields. I applaud the ingenuity and willingness of our teams to bring it to fruition.”

                                                                                                      

After all approvals and accreditation, the BHSH Spectrum Health West Michigan Nurse Scholar program will be in place by January 2023. 

Gonzo’s Top 5: Butterflies, baseball, classical music, and comic-con

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Kids Activities, Recreation, Sports, Upcoming Events, West Michigan, , , , ,

By John D. Gonzalez

WKTV Contributing Writer

Butterflies are back in the Top 5, and so is baseball, classical music and those who like to dress up.

Enjoy the spring-like weather on the horizon. It’s time for my weekly list of things to do, which you can find exclusively on WKTV Journal.

Here it is!

Chamber Orchestra of Grand Rapids performs at The Stray. (pxhere.com)

5. Classical Music at The Stray

Can’t wait for the next WKTV Voices Storyteller’s event at The Stray (7 p.m. April 15)? Well, it’s not quite a story, but another great opportunity to check out the local coffeehouse/event space. Come see members of the Chamber Orchestra of Grand Rapids perform 17th and 18th century works in smaller groups. The show is at 7 p.m. Saturday (April 9). Admission is free, but a $10 donation is suggested. More info on the event Facebook page.

Butterflies and flowers will be on display at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s annual Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition. (Supplied/Meijer Gardens)

4. Morning With The Butterflies Family Party

Didn’t get a chance to do something fun for Spring Break? The Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition at Meijer Gardens remains open through April 30, with extended hours until 9 p.m. through Friday (April 8). Looking for a party with snacks and activities? One is planned for members on Sunday (April 10). This is a good time to consider a membership for special perks like this. (We love ours in the Gonzalez household).

More info at meijergardens.org/calendar/butterflies-are-blooming/.

An array of gems and minerals will be on display at this year’s Gem & Mineral Show at Rogers Plaza. (WKTV)

3. 45th Annual Gem & Mineral Show

Another fun activity for the family is checking out the popular Gem & Mineral Show this weekend at Rogers Plaza. It features treasures for everyone from beginners to seasoned collectors where you will find minerals, fossils, crystals, gems, jewelry, beads, stone carvings, equipment, books, and more. Nearly 30 vendors, club dealers and artisans will be on hand. Hours are 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday and Friday (April 7-8), and from 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday (April 9). More info on the event Facebook page. Admission is free.

The Grand Rapids Valley Railroad Train Shows offer fun for kids of any age.

2. Greater Grand Rapids Train Show

It’s back for another show from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday (April 9) at the Home School Building in Wyoming. The show features more than 200 vendor tables, offering what organizers said is “everything imaginable for even the most discerning model railroader.” In addition, they will have model railroad layouts in different scales and sizes with accurately detailed engines and cars running down their tracks. There’s even a Lego play area for kids. Cost is $5 for adults and free for those 12 and younger. It is presented by the Grand River Valley Railroad Club. More info at grvrrc.org.

1. Grand Rapids Comic-Con

Another sure sign of spring is Comic-Con! Who wants to wear a coat over a Power Rangers costume? This weekend you can experience seminars, panels, vendors, comic books and more. The event runs Friday-Sunday (April 8-10) at the DeltaPlex Arena. Hours are noon-7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $20 per day. Parking is $10 cash only. For more details on cosplay guidelines and more info, go to grcomiccon.com.

The West Michigan Whitecaps’ home opener is April 12. (WM Whitecaps)

Baseball

As for baseball, the Detroit Tigers are back in action for a new season beginning April 8 at Comerica Park against the White Sox. And our West Michigan Whitecaps open the season on April 8 in Midland, but return to LMCU Ballpark for the home opener on Tuesday, April 12. More info at whitecapsbaseball.com.

That’s it for now.

As always, I welcome your input and recommendations for events to include in my Top 5 list. If you have something for me to consider, just send me an email at michigangonzo@gmail.com.

Have a great, safe weekend.


John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.

West Michigan native, Kentwood favorite, singer/songwriter to perform in Kentwood’s final Winter series concert March 31

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, Going Local, Kids Activities, Local Entertainment, Local Faces, Local Food, Recreation, Restaurants, Upcoming Events, West Michigan, WKTV Projects, ,
Nicholas James Thomasma will bring his VW van full of music to Kentwood’s Winter Concert Series this week. (He won’t actually bring the van into the library!) (Supplied)

By D.A. Reed, WKTV Contributing Writer

Singer-songwriter Nicholas James Thomasma, no stronger to the stage of Kentwood city concerts, will bring his family-friendly mix of Americana, folk, country, and rock music to the final Winter Concert Series show this week.

The City of Kentwood’s free-to-the-public concert is set for Thursday, Mar. 31, at the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE.

The songwriter, talking to WKTV, said he plans to combine stories and songs, creating an atmosphere that can be enjoyed by all ages.

“What we do, as musicians … everything centers around gathering people together for experiences,” Thomasma said. “My music is applicable to, and can appeal to, all ages.”

The concert will take place in the library’s Community Room, from 6:30-8 p.m., and guests are invited to bring their own beer, wine, or nonalcoholic beverages to enjoy during the show. Also available will be food from El Jalapeño, a local food truck featuring Mexican cuisine.

Though the singer frequently plays with a 6-piece band, The Bandwagon, Thomasma will be performing as a solo artist at the Kentwood show, incorporating acoustic guitar and harmonica into his performance, often playing both instruments at the same time.

Nicholas James Thomasma with his big band, Bandwagon. (Supplied)

A singer/songwriter’s journey

Thomasma’s journey into the music world began when the artist was in his twenties. Working as a radio DJ, Thomasma’s conversations with other musicians led him to the realization that he was on “the wrong side of the board.”

“What I really wanted to do was play music,” said Thomasma. “I started learning guitar. Almost as soon as I started learning how to play guitar, I started writing my own songs.”

When asked what inspires the songwriter and shapes his music, Thomasma said that he never forces his songs into a particular category.

“When I write songs, I try to treat them how they want to be treated,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a jazz song, sometimes it’s a folk song, sometimes it’s a country song, sometimes it’s a rock song. I just let that happen depending on what the song wants to be.”

Nicholas James Thomasma (Supplied)

Thomasma said he often jokes around at his shows that “This next song is a love song. Spoiler alert: they’re all love songs!”

Because of the emotions put into his work, Thomasma said there is a lot of love in all his songs.

“I’m writing songs from my heart, and whether they are love songs or not, they are often inspired by my real life.”

Keeping busy in unusual ways

Always looking for paying gig, Thomasma said he also creates custom songs upon request. And while he has written songs for various occasions, he said weddings are the most popular request.

“People will contact me shortly after they get engaged and say they want a song for their wedding,” Thomasma said, and that these songs create special moments that no one else has. “Other people can listen to it (the song), but the couple knows it is their song.”

Another unique service Thomasma offers music lovers and listeners are driveway concerts.

Nicholas James Thomasma, and his traveling VW van show. (Supplied)

“Driveway concerts are a pandemic pivot,” said Thomasma. “I’ve been playing house concerts as long as I’ve been performing, but during the pandemic we kind of switched to taking the house out of the equation.”

Thomasma said he doesn’t need a building to make music, traveling to outside venues and homes in his trademark orange 1973 Volkswagen Bus.

“I’ll pull up in your driveway, I’ll have the sound system, you invite your friends and your neighbors, and we’ll all sit in your front yard and have a good time,” said Thomasma, adding that the idea of driveway concerts has really taken off.

Finding various ways for community members to enjoy music isn’t the only way Thomasma honors his love of music. Future goals include helping other musicians find their footing in the music world as well.

Thomasma is currently enrolled in Grand Rapids Community College, working toward a degree in marketing.

“My goal is to help other artists survive similar to the way that I do,” he said. “I want to understand business and how the music business works so well that I can teach other artists how I do what I do in the hopes that they then can be successful on their own.”

To find out more about Thomasma and his music, visit nicholasjamesthomasma.com.

The public at Kentwood concerts are urged to follow current public health guidelines if attending the concert.

Gonzo’s Top 5: Big trucks, 80s music, pet, toys, and cottage living shows

Entertainment, Gonzo's Top 5, Recreation, West Michigan, , , , ,

By John D. Gonzalez
WKTV Contributing Writer

Spring is officially here, and if you’re getting out of town soon, consider this the last weekend before you have to start packing.

In my Top 5, which you can find exclusively on WKTV Journal, you’ll find a perfect way to get ready for Spring Break and warmer weather.

What are you going to do?

Gonzo’s Top 5

Mega 80’s returns to Grand Rapids this Saturday. (Facebook)

5. MEGA 80’S

I’ve been singing the praises of Michigan’s top ‘80s band for more than a decade. The Mega 80’s is the premiere cover band of an era that is most remembered for colorful clothes, synthesizer rock and musc videos. Get dressed up, gather a group of friends and relive some of the biggest songs and videos from the ‘80s on Saturday (March 26) at The Intersection. The Detroit area band always puts on a great show. Guaranteed. Ticket information and more at sectionlive.com.

Take a walk down memory lane was the Grand Rapids Toy Show. (Facebook)

4. Grand Rapids Toy Show

Speaking of nostalgia, this weekend you can experience the GR Toy Show from 9 a.m,-3 p.m. Saturday (March 26) at the Home School Building; 5625 Burlingame Ave SW, in Wyoming. You’ll experience more than 200 tables with antique toys, collectibles, pedal cars, dolls, bears, furniture, movie posters and more. Admission is $5 and free for those 10 and under. More info at midmichigansupershows.com.

3. West Michigan Pet Expo

Where are my pet lovers? Me, I’m warming up to the idea of getting a pet in the near future. This might be a good time for me to check out the West Michigan Pet Expo, a two-day event (March 26-27) with fun activities for animal lovers and families. Along with 50 pet-related vendors, you can enjoy entertainment from The Canine Stars Stunt Dog Show, which was recently featured on America’s Got Talent, as well as a petting zoo, pony rides, a reptile and amphibian exhibit, and more. Learn more at deltaplex.com/event/west-michigan-pet-expo-3/.

2. Monster Jam

One of my favorite memories as a dad is taking the kids to see Monster Jam at Van Andel Arena. It’s a fun, family activity where you get to see these incredible machines race for a championship, do stunts and make jumps. Plus, you have to love names like Grave Digger, El Toro Loco and Monster Mutt! In addition, you’ll be entertained by Freestyle Motocross exhibitions, too. Check out this weekend’s show, March 25-27, which is at Van Andel Arena. For ticket prices and show times go to vanandelarena.com.

1. Cottage and Lakefront Living Show

We’re all ready for spring, right? That makes this the perfect weekend to think about summer getaways to a family or friend’s cottage. At the annual Cottage and Lakefront Living Show, those looking to make upgrades or some remodeling can talk to designers, lakefront builders and realtors. Maybe you’re looking for a new dock or boat. This is the place to be. The show is Friday-Sunday (March 25-27) at DeVos Place. Times and ticket information at  devosplace.org.

That’s it for now.

As always, I welcome your input and recommendations for events to include in my Top 5 list. If you have something for me to consider, just send me an email at michigangonzo@gmail.com.

Have a great, safe weekend.



John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.

Wyoming Chief Koster appointed to state law enforcement standards board

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, Community Health, Local Faces, Our Cities, West Michigan, , , ,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Chief Kim Koster

Wyoming Director of Public Safety Kimberly Koster has been appointed to the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Serving the residents of Michigan through the promotion of public safety since 1965, MCOLES provides leadership through setting professional standards in education, selection, employment, licensing and funding in law enforcement and criminal justice in both the public and private sectors.

Koster was selected to represent the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police on MCOLES for a nearly three-year term that ends Dec. 31, 2025. She succeeds recently retired Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Payne.

Wyoming Chief Kim Koster with former Kentwood Chief Thomas Hillen during a National Night Out event. (WKTV)

“I am honored to be appointed to the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and to represent my fellow police chiefs on this esteemed board,” Koster said. “I look forward to continuing the exemplary work of MCOLES to ensure our communities are safe, our officers are well-trained and our criminal justice system is supported.”

Koster has been Wyoming’s director of public safety for nearly four years, leading a team of 151 full-time personnel that includes 99 sworn police officers and 29 full-time firefighters.

Before becoming chief, Koster served as a captain within the department for eight years. In this role, she assisted with the formation of the Public Safety Department through the administrative consolidation of police and fire services, created a new staffing model, facilitated dispatch operation transitions and led a collaborative effort in the development of the department’s five-year strategic plan.

Prior to that, she worked her way up through the ranks to detective, sergeant and lieutenant. A 26-year veteran of the department, she began her career with Wyoming as a school resource and community policing officer. In this role, she worked with neighborhood groups and organized community events to bridge gaps and build solidarity among neighbors.

Wyoming Chief Kim Koster reads “Valenstiens” by Ethan Long during the 2021 March is Reading Month celebration. (WKTV)

Throughout her career, Koster has been recognized with several commendations, including the Life Saving Award, Chief’s Award of Excellence and Outstanding Young Public Safety Officer.

She is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has completed the Leadership Institute training hosted by Grand Rapids Police Department and the Police and Staff Command training hosted by Northwestern University.

Koster received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Grand Valley State University and a master’s degree in criminal justice administration from Ferris State University.

Final section of water trail along Grand River may become a reality

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming, Great Lakes, Our Cities, Recreation, Sports, Travel, West Michigan, , , , ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

LGROW Director Wendy Ogilvie (far left) reviews a map of the Grand River with participants of a public meeting about creating a water trail along the river. (WKTV)

The young girl walked into the room at GVSU’s Seidman Center, looked at a map with her mother and then turned to Wendy Ogilvie and asked “Why should we designate a water trail along the Grand River?”

Acknowledging that it was a good question and one that was often asked, the Lower Grand River Organization (LGROW) director said “We often think of up north as full of nature and beauty when there is that beauty here in the lower peninsula as well. By designating it as a water trail we create a sense of place and a destination. “

LGROW, which is part of the Grand Rapids Metro Council and designated with addressing issues and opportunities for the Grand River and its watershed, is moving forward on a plan to create a state-designated water trail along the lower Grand River, which Ogilvie said might become a reality this year. 

A water trail is similar to a bike/walking trail. It is a designated route on a navigable waterway such as a river like the Grand River, or other waterways like a lake or canal. The trail is implemented and managed to foster educational and recreational experiences.

The upper and middle Grand River watersheds have already been designated by the state as water trails. The addition for the Lower Grand River, which runs from about Ionia west to Lake Michigan, would complete the 252-mile trek from its origination point at the headwaters of Hillsdale County to where to it pours out onto Lake Michigan in Grand Haven. Michigan’s longest river runs along the border of the City of Wyoming as it travels from the City of Grand Rapids to the City of Grandville and on to Ottawa County.

A map of the many public and private access points along the Grand River. (WKTV)

“Water trails are becoming the new parks,” said Andrea Irland, an outdoor recreational planner for the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program of the National Park Service. “You travel down a river and discover the untouched areas that are not easily seen from a trail or road.”

Irland was involved in the creation of the Cuyahoga River Water Trail which helped to change the reputation of the river, which was known to catch fire, to being a place to see wildlife. She said she could see the same happening for the Grand River, which was once used for logging to help get wood to the furniture factories in Grand Rapids.

“Water trails such as the one proposed and the one on the Cuyahoga River do not need to be in national parks,” Irland said. “They can provide a way to connect different communities that are along the river.”

A community also benefits in the creation of a water trail as it provides outdoor recreation, education, stewardship, quality of life, and conservation and protection.

To discuss the pros and cons of having a water trail, LGROW hosted a public meeting in February at Grand Valley State University’s Seidman Center seeking input from residents on what they would want to see to help encourage the development of a water trail. There was input on a variety of topics such as access points and amenities like signage, bathrooms, and other items that would be needed to help design and maintain the water trail. There also was discussion on water safety and the sharing of the waterway with larger boats and other river crafts.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the public to provide ideas on how we can enhance access and recreational opportunities tied to one of our region’s most valuable natural assets,” Ogilvie said. “It will encourage tourists and outdoor recreation while promoting watershed stewardship and showcasing Michigan’s incredible water resources.”

There were six stations at the event that lead participants through learning about what a water trail is to amenities and what they thought would help to make such a plan successful. Another aspect of the meeting was to encourage tourism ventures such as canoe and kayak rentals along with restaurants and other possibilities to develop along the river to make the water trail a successful destination spot.

Through the development process, Ogilvie said LGROW has met with various stakeholders such as kayaking clubs, owners of access points, municipalities where the river has run through and other community members. In fact, the process has taken a couple of years but the recent Restore the Rapids movement to restore the lower river to a more natural state has made creating a water trail more of a viable opportunity, Ogilvie said.

The goal will be to have similar public input meetings in Ionia and Ottawa counties. From there, the group will review the plan and then submit it to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for approval.

To review the plan or learn more, click here. 

March is Reading Month: Toxic Charity and Women Who Run With the Wolves

3-bottom, Books, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Local Entertainment, Our Cities, Recreation, Senior Living, West Michigan, , , , , ,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, March has been designated as Reading Month. To celebrate and encourage reading, we are asking local officials, residents and WKTV staff and volunteers to tell us about a book that they enjoy. Happy Reading!

Today’s reading selections comes from Starla McDermott, who for the past six years has been serving as the development director for Guiding Light Mission. Since 1929, Guiding Light has been serving the Greater Grand Rapids area with a focus on offering safe and secure shelter for men looking to engage with society. The mission offers the following programs: the Back to Work Program, a short-term housing facility for men who are working or looking for work so they can save for permanent housing; and New Life in Christ, a program for men who are suffering from addiction, homelessness, loss of employment and other issues and they are looking for a new way in life. For more on Guiding Light Mission, visit www.guidinglightworks.org.

Book: Toxic Charity: How the Church Hurts Those They Help and How to Reverse It
Author: Robert D. Lupton
Genre: Christian Literature

Book: Women Who Run with Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype
Author: Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Genre: Self-help

For a work-related book, “Toxic Charity” is a good one. Published in 2011, “Toxic Charity” takes a look at traditional charity models and new ways to help, not sabotage, those that charities are trying to help. My personal favorite is “Women Who Run with Wolves,” which unfolds rich intercultural myths, fairy tales, folk tales, and stories, many from her own traditions, in order to help women reconnect with the fierce, healthy, visionary attributes of this instinctual nature.

West Michigan Aviation Academy advances to state Science Olympiad competition

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, Tech Trends, West Michigan, , ,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

About 700 middle and high school students competed in 46 different events for the Regional 12 Science Olympiad competition which was at Grand Valley State University. (Supplied)

West Michigan Aviation Academy beat out 46 other teams to snag one of six high school spots to advance to the Michigan Science Olympiad state competition.

Around 700 middle school and high school students from Kent, Muskegon and Ottawa counties displayed their STEM-related work during the competition. at the Regional 12 Michigan Science Olympiad which was held Saturday, March 19, on the Grand Valley State University’s Allendale campus. Six middle school and six high school teams qualified for the state tournament, said tournament co-director Chelsea Ridge.

Besides West Michigan Aviation Academy, the other five high school teams were Grand Haven High School, Hudsonville High School, East Grand Rapids High School, Allendale High School and Forest Hills Central High School.

The middle school teams that qualified were Grand Haven’s Lakeshore Middle School, Forest Hills’ Northern Hills Middle School. Hudsonville’s Riley Street Middle School, Grand Haven’s White Pines Intermediate School, Chandler Woods Charter Academy in Belmont, and Allendale Middle School.

 

“The team dynamic helps students to foster a community at their school where they can dig deeper in STEM areas they are passionate about that may not be covered in a traditional science class,” Ridge said. “The tournament is an opportunity for them to showcase all they have worked so diligently to master throughout the season.”

Hosted by the GVSU’s Regional Math and Science Center, the 46 scheduled events included competitions involving airplanes, indoor bottle rockets, vehicles and more.

The state competition is set for April 30 at the Michigan State University campus, which is located in Lansing. 

Local YMCAs, including Wyoming’s, seeking lifeguards, offering training — and not just for young adults

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, Community Health, Health, Local Business, Non-Profits, Our Cities, Recreation, Upcoming Events, West Michigan, WKTV Projects, ,
  • YMCA lifeguarding training, and work, is for all ages. (Supplied/YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids)
  • YMCA lifeguarding training, and work, is for all ages. (Supplied/YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids)
  • YMCA lifeguarding training, and work, is for all ages. (Supplied/YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids)

By WKTV Staff

With many employment opportunities across the city and region, the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids invites current and “future” lifeguards to join their team and launch a fulfilling career, according to a recent announcement.

And while most lifeguards are high school and college students, the ranks are also made up of professionals, retirees and stay-at-home parents.

Maybe the Y’s greatest lifeguarding success story is YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids CEO Scott Lewis. Lewis began his tenure at the YMCA as a lifeguard at a New Jersey YMCA in 1986 where the organization “invested in his leadership potential,” according to the announcement.

“The role of lifeguard is one that can launch a great career, and I know from experience,” Lewis said in supplied material. “Providing a safe and exceptional experience, working with a diverse customer base, problem solving, and having an exceptional attention to detail are all skills that serve professionals long term.”

YMCA lifeguard training at an outdoor, summertime venue. (Supplied/YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids)

The organization has increased wages, according to the announcement, now offering $14.61 to $16.44 per hour, opened free training opportunities, and “invested in creating year-round, flexible hours for these aquatic leaders to develop life-long professional skills.”

 

However, maybe the most rewarding work as a YMCA lifeguard is the satisfaction of knowing you actively make an impact in the lives of others, while working with and guarding a group of diverse individuals.

“Becoming a YMCA lifeguard provides you a support network to be successful from the day you decide to pursue the opportunity,” YMCA Human Resources Director Peter Reiff said in supplied material.  “What’s more is that at the YMCA you are part of a larger team of leaders and health and wellness service providers that work together to meet the needs of the community year-round, every year.”
  

For more on the Y’s four lifeguard training classes planned between now and May, visit https://www.grymca.org/aquatics-careers/#training. For those already trained and wish to apply, visit www.grymca.org/careers. For more information on the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids visit grymca.org.

Lead marketer for Site 36 purchases 74 acres of the property

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming, Local Business, Our Cities, West Michigan, , ,
It was announced that a large portion of the former GM Fisher Body stamping plant has been sold to Franklin Partners LLC. (WKTV)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Mayor Jack Poll hinted at it in his Feb. 7 State of the City address and today, Franklin Partners LLC made it official: Site 36 has been sold.

Franklin Partners, which is based in Grand Rapids and Oak Brook, Ill, has purchased a large portion of the site, 74 of the approximate 92 acres, from the City of Wyoming. The purchase became official at the end of February.

“Wyoming thriving business community continues to grow as well,” Poll said in his Feb. 7 address. “Nicole Hofert, director of planning and economic development has lead serval exciting initiatives.”

One of those initiatives has been the sale of Site 36, located at 300 36th St. SW, just east of Clay Avenue on 36th Street with an eastern border of Buchanan Avenue. The property has been vacant since 2009, when General Motors closed its stamping plant.

“The developer hopes to be announcing businesses that will be coming to Wyoming in the coming weeks,” Poll said.

City staff indicated the city has retained the northern portion of the site which includes the former parking lot which is separated from the main property by 36th Street. This is where Godwin Heights Public Schools recently added its new athletic entrance which was completed last year.

Franklin Partners, which has been the main marketer for the property, said in a news release that the firm is looking to build manufacturing plants on the site, ranging in size from 150,000 square feet to more than one million square feet. City officials stated that the site will be broken into four or five parcels for development.

 

The former GM plant, which started as the GM Fisher Body stamping plant, also known in its early days as Plant No. 1, was built in 1936 on the former site and helped to push the construction of much of the city’s infrastructure. At one point, more than 2,000 people were employed at the plant. After 72 years of operation, GM decided to close the plant in 2009 citing the plant was too far away from GM assembly plants, driving up shipping and related costs.

 

The site was cleared of the two-million-square-foot plant a few years after the plant closing, but much of the infrastructure was retained including onsite utilities and the railway. The proximity of the site to US 131 is another added bonus.

“The day has been a long time coming, and we appreciate the confidence and faith Don (Shoemaker) and his team Franklin Partners have shown in Wyoming, in manufacturing and in our greater West Michigan community,” Wyoming City Manager Curtis Hold said in a statement. “We have long recognized what a jewel this property is – and what tremendous potential it has to attract manufacturers looking for a place to expand or consolidate operations.”

Climb of lifetime; gift of lifetime: Michigan woman, team of kidney donors, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro

3-bottom, Community Health, Sports, Travel, West Michigan, WKTV Projects,

As part of WKTV’s special coverage of World Kidney Day, March 10, we are presenting a series of stories, first about a Michigan donor leading an active lifestyle; a West Michigan recipient living a lively future thanks to another; an adventure of a lifetime, for a cause — a climb of Africa’s tallest mountain; and finally a first-hand story from a Michigan woman on the climb. In this third story, a photo essay of the team of donors scaling African peak.

  • Mount Kilimanjaro viewed from Moshi (Wikimedia Commons)
  • The entire planned climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro. (Supplied)
  • It takes quite a village to take an American team of climbers, in this case the Kidney Donor Athletes team, up Mt. Kilimanjaro. (Supplied)
  • The progress of the Kidney Donor Athletes team’s climb as of March 7. The summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro is represented by #2 on the right. (Supplied)
  • Kidney Donor Athlete team of American kidney donors and climbers in progress in their climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro. (Supplied)
  • Kidney Donor Athletes team advances to base camp on Wednesday, March 9, for planned final push to summit of the mountain at sunrise, March 10. (Supplied)
  • Night falls on the camp of the Kidney Donor Athletes team of American kidney donors and climbers in progress in their climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro. (Supplied)
  • A beautiful sunrise as the Kidney Donor Athlete team reached their goal — the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro. (Supplied)
  • On the morning of March 10, in Africa, on World Kidney Day, the Kidney Donor Athlete team reached their goal — the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro. (Supplied)
  • On the morning of March 10, in Africa, on World Kidney Day, the Kidney Donor Athlete team reached their goal — the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro. (Supplied)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org


They climbed for a cause: to bring awareness of the plight of those in need of a donation, awareness of the need for donors, and the awareness that a donor does not need to radically alter their lifestyle, even an athletic lifestyle.

That is why a team made up of the One Kidney Climber group climbed Africa’s Mt. Kilimanjaro, reaching the top today, on World Kidney Day, March 10.

WKTV is following the African adventure of one Michigan woman, Emily Polet-Monterosso, who is part of that climb. And, with us, you can see their adventure in photos.

The climb was the first coordinated event by Kidney Donor Athletes (KDA) to bring attention to the need for living kidney donors and that those who donate can be “healthy and thrive” with one kidney.

According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), more than 97,000 people in the U.S. are on the waiting list for kidney transplants. Over 3,000 new patients are added to this list every month. With fewer donors than there are those in need, 13 people die every day waiting for a kidney.

More information on KDA

For more information on the Kidney Donor Athletes climb, and other resources, visit kidneydonorathlete.org.

Founded in 2018, Kidney Donor Athletes is a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is to promote the gift of life through living kidney donation among active individuals and athletes by building a community that inspires, supports, and educates people about the experience.

Women’s History Month: Financial advisor finds success in ‘man’s world’ by staying true to herself

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Finances, Local Business, Our Cities, West Michigan
For Abby Lininger, remaining true to herself has been the key in being successful. (Supplied)

By Sheila McGrath
WKTV Contributing Writer

When you’re a woman working in a male-dominated field, it helps to have a strong sense of self.

After practicing as a financial advisor for more than a decade, Abby Lininger has definitely acquired one. But it wasn’t something that happened overnight.

“It wasn’t a short journey,” she said.

Lininger, 34, runs the Drake Financial Group office at 2034 84th St. SW in Byron Center. She helps young people open their first investment accounts, manages accounts for retirees, and meets with clients of all ages who seek her help getting their financial lives in order.

Although she believes things are changing for the better, the world of finance is still a man’s world, Lininger says. Even in 2022, men are often the financial decision-makers in a family. And when it comes to seeking help from a financial advisor, they’re likely to look to another man for advice.

 

According to the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc., women make up about 23 percent of financial advisors in the U.S.

Abby Lininger with her family. (Supplied)

But there are still a lot of clients out there for someone who doesn’t quite fit the traditional mold, she said. She loves the opportunity to serve a different clientele, whether it’s single, professional women, or young couples who got the brush-off from another advisor because they didn’t have a big enough bank account.

“I don’t look like most advisors you might have met before, but I’m OK with that. I don’t need everybody to be my client. I am looking for people who don’t want that stereotypical financial advisor,” she said.

 

Lininger graduated from Hope College in 2009 after studying international relations and Spanish. Although her father was a financial advisor, she didn’t see herself going into the same field.

 

But with the Great Recession making it hard for new graduates to find jobs in 2009, she decided to go to work for her father’s business after all. Her father, Mark Drake, started Drake Financial Group in Portage, where Lininger grew up.

As a new college grad who was also a woman in a male-dominated field, she struggled to gain credibility at first, she said. It’s a field where there’s a lot for anyone to learn – male or female. But she was also very aware of not looking the part of a typical financial advisor. She didn’t wear suits. She didn’t have straight hair. She jokes that she didn’t even sound like a financial advisor. People on the phone would ask her “How old are you?”

She made it through the early years by consulting with others in her office who had more experience, and always continuing to learn. And in time she learned to leverage her laid-back style into a strength. When she’s dealing with clients, she likes to be casual and relatable, using plain language to describe complex topics.

 

“I think the biggest thing was the realization that I don’t have to be someone else to be successful,” she said.

Lininger graduated from Hope College in 2009 and then joined her father’s business, Drake Financial Group. (Supplied)

She said that she does think things are changing. More women are taking charge of their own financial lives, and she thinks that she definitely has more female peers than her father did when he was starting his career.

Lininger opened the satellite office of Drake Financial  Group in Byron Center in 2014 after she and her husband, Brad, moved to the area from Portage. Opening her own office has helped her pave her own path and establish her own credibility, apart from her father’s, she said.

 

“I’m here creating my own reputation, and I think that is a beautiful thing,” she said.

Gift of Life: West Michigan kidney recipient celebrates ‘transplant-aversary’ looking back, forward

3-bottom, Community Health, Health, Local Faces, Non-Profits, Recreation, West Michigan, WKTV Projects, , , ,
Heather and Todd Luchies just before their surgeries in 2017 (Supplied)

As part of WKTV’s special coverage of World Kidney Day, March 10, we are presenting a series of stories, first about a Michigan donor leading an active lifestyle, then a West Michigan recipient living a lively future thanks to another, and also an adventure of a lifetime — a climb of Africa’s tallest mountain — to bring awareness to the need for more people will to share the gift of life. In this second story, West Michigan donated kidney recipient Heather Luchies.

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org


Heather Luchies, who grew up in Grand Rapids and has lived in Howard City since 2001, is one of the lucky ones, and maybe a bit blessed. And she knows it. In 2017, she received a living-organ donation of a kidney, from the love of her life, her husband.

But she also knows others are not so lucky, so blessed. And as she celebrated her 5-year “transplant-aversary” in January, she continues to advocate for those who, like her, need a kidney to live, and urge those who can to give the gift of life.

Heather and Todd Luchies celebrating their 23rd wedding anniversary in October 2021 (Supplied)

According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), more than 97,000 people in the U.S. are on the waiting list for kidney transplants. Over 3,000 new patients are added to this list every month. With fewer donors than there are those in need, 13 people die every day waiting for a kidney.

“I love talking about my experience. I am doing so well overall and love to give hope to those who are struggling,” Luchies said to WKTV. “I have been a volunteer with Gift of Life Michigan for the past three years, teaching others about organ donation is so important. Signing even one person up is life saving to many others.”

One of her favorite quotes, she says, is: “When you stand and and share your story in an empowering way, your story will heal you and your story will heal somebody else”
 

The awareness of the plight of those in need of a donation, awareness of the need for donors — and the awareness that a donor does not need to radically alter their lifestyle, even an athletic lifestyle — is part of what is driving a team of the One Kidney Climber group planning to scale Mt. Kilimanjaro on World Kidney Day, March 10.

Mount Kilimanjaro viewed from Moshi (Wikimedia Commons)

The climb, now in progress, is the first coordinated event by Kidney Donor Athletes (KDA) to bring attention to the need for living kidney donors and that those who donate can be “healthy and thrive” with one kidney. WKTV is following the African adventure of one Michigan woman, Emily Polet-Monterosso, who is part of that climb.

Emily met the person who received her donated kidney, they actually became friends. Heather knew her donor even before her surgery was needed — her husband, Todd.

“The fact that I went through this whole process 5 years ago with my husband being my living donor is so humbling,” Heather said. “I was by his side throughout the whole testing process as he was by mine. We recovered together and would argue who had the more ‘painful’ surgery. I still think me, while he thinks the other. Donors are so special, a true gift.”

Heather’s story

Heather Luchies had known for years that she would, eventually, need a kidney transplant. She was diagnosed with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a disease which causes scarring (sclerosis) of the kidney, when she was in her 20s.
 

Doctors told her it would eventually lead to kidney failure, but could not provide a timetable, and for a while she “stayed pretty stable … I was one of the lucky ones.”

But “I knew I would need a kidney one day; I just didn’t know when,” she said in a 2021 interview with Gift of Life Michigan. Her husband, Todd, also knew it was just a fact of life, dating back to when the couple first met more than 25 years ago.

“We always knew it was the eventual outcome. It was always on our mind,” Todd said.

Her kidneys gradually got worse. In late 2016, they were bad enough to have her put on the transplant waiting list — and at that time Todd said he wanted to see if he was a match.

“I called the next day,” he said. “We started getting tested a few days after that.”

After a series of tests, it was determined that he was a good match — something that Todd said was “a tremendous sense of relief” — and the transplant was scheduled for Jan. 7, 2017, and occurred at Mercy Health in Grand Rapids.

Heather and Todd Luchies, with son Cayden. Cayden is a senior at Grand Valley State University. (Supplied)

The couple had been married for about 18 years at the time. And now they have been given five more years together, five more years of watching their son, Cayden, now a senior at Grand Valley State University, grow into a man.

And, hopefully, they will have many more years.

As a donor, Todd recovered well and his “life has not changed,” Heather said. “He is 100 percent, physically, the same as before donating.”

Heather Luchies’ meds right after her kidney transplant surgery; they have greatly diminished since then. (Supplied)

Life is not exactly “normal” now for Heather, she does still have to take medications. But nothing like she did immediately after transplant.

“You start anti-rejection meds also called immunosuppressants. These meds weaken your immune system decreasing your body’s ability to destroy the new kidney,” she said. “I will be on these the rest of my life (or the duration of the transplanted kidney) … I have a love/hate relationship with them.

“The downfall of these meds is your weakened immune system and fighting off other viruses, infections … as well as some lovely side effects. But overall I am so thankful for these meds. Without them I would be on dialysis or not here today.”
 

Heather Luchies meds today, some continuing due to her kidney transplant and some just regular supplements. (Supplied)

And here, today, is pretty good for Heather.

“I had my 5-year ‘transplant-aversary’ on January 9. Just over 5 years. Time sure does fly,” she said. “Since my transplant I have lived a pretty normal life. I work part time for an electric company in Rockford. 99 percent of the time I work by myself (aside from my dog Wyatt who comes with me) which has been a huge blessing the past two years with COVID.

“I am very active. I work out daily (cardio and kickboxing are my favorite) this is something I could not do before my transplant, I just got too tired. I love hiking with our dog, being with family and just doing normal everyday things. I became vegan a few years ago, I love making new, thrown-together vegan meals.”

She also loves being involved with groups which support kidney donation.
 

“I have been a volunteer with Gift of Life Michigan for the past three years, teaching others about organ donation is so important. Signing even one person up is life saving to many others,” she said. “I am also a kidney mentor at my transplant center.”

Heather Luchies at Donate Life Day, a living donor informational event, at Grand Rapids Zoo. (Supplied)

Heather is also a “kidney mentor” at her transplant center, and with her friend and fellow transplant patient, she started a West Michigan Kidney Transplant/Disease Facebook group about two years ago “with hopes of meeting everyone in person. But COVID has set us back a tad. We hope to be able to meet up this Spring. I call it therapy.”

She also, strangely enough, has a connection to the group of donors currently in Africa, preparing to climb a mountain to advocate for kidney donation.


“Another cool thing is my Dad summited Kilimanjaro about 12 years ago,” she said. “So I have a slight connection to these climbers, aside from kidney stuff.”

More information on KDA

For more information on the Kidney Donor Athletes climb, and other resources, visit kidneydonorathlete.org.

A videographer is set to accompany the group to document the climb and WKTV plans to produce a story and video using supplied material after the climb. (We are told cell service is not great on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.)

Founded in 2018, Kidney Donor Athletes is a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is to promote the gift of life through living kidney donation among active individuals and athletes by building a community that inspires, supports, and educates people about the experience.

University of Michigan Health-West shows support for people of Ukraine

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, Community Health, Health, West Michigan, , ,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Last night, the University of Michigan Health-West changed its beacon lights from white to blue and yellow, showing its support for the people of Ukraine.

“As an organization dedicated to health and the well-being of all people, University of Michigan Health-West stands against violence in all of its forms,” in a released statement from the hospital.

The beacon lights will be blue and yellow 24 hours a day going forward with the hospital stating “with this symbolic gesture, we add our light to others around the world, showing support for the people of Ukraine.”

Women’s History Month: Local businesswomen sees advantages in catering business

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Food, Local Business, Local Food, Recreation, Restaurants, West Michigan, , , , ,

NOTE: For Women’s History Month we are featuring local female business leaders. We start our series with Nancy Jacob, who with her husband Mike own Apple Spice Box Lunch Delivery and Catering Co.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Nancy Jacobs is co-owner with her husband Mike of Apple Spice Box Lunch Delivery and Catering, Co. (WKTV)

When you meet Nancy Jacobs, you can’t help feel she is the neighbor you just want to have a sandwich and soda with while discussing the day’s ups and downs.

If that does happen, Jacobs can definitely supply the sandwich and beverage of choice as her and her husband Mike are the owners of Apple Spice, a box lunch delivery and catering company located off of 68th Street.

“We often joke that when Nancy goes out our sales go up,” said Mike Jacobs.

Nancy Jacobs is the face of the operation. She is the one who will load up with samples and then head out to visit with local businesses, encouraging prospective clients to try what Apple Spice has to offer.

“I think because many of the people I meet are often women who are the gatekeepers when it comes to planning events at the business, it is a lot easier for me to get connected with the right person,” Nancy Jacobs said, adding that about 80 percent of her contact is woman-to-woman.  Jacobs’ husband agrees that for their business, Nancy Jacobs’ ability to network has helped to make Apple Spice successful.

Nancy Jacobs noted that teachers love the heavy duty box that Apple Spice’s box lunch comes in, using the boxes for a variety of purposes. (WKTV)

The Dream of Having Your Own Business

Mike and Nancy Jacobs started Apple Spice just before the pandemic. Mike had been laid off from his aerospace job and through a seminar his former company offered, came home with the idea of the couple starting a franchise.

 

“It was something that we had talked about in the past, starting a business,” said Nancy Jacobs, who was a nurse. “However, after the seminar, Mike thought that a franchise made for a reasonable way for us to do that since with a franchise the start-up work of creating the business had been done.

“Basically it is like starting a business but with training wheels.”

Through coaching, the couple narrowed it down to two possible franchises and after visiting both companies, opted for Apple Space, which is based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Food seemed like a natural fit for the couple, Jacobs said as the reason for the choice.

A peek inside one of the Apple Spice box lunches. (WKTV)

The couple selected its 68th Street location, in the same mall as The Dollar Tree and Blain Farm and Fleet, because of the space it provided for their business needs while being close to US 131.

Apple Spice offers primarily lunches, through box lunches and catering. Jacobs said they do offer breakfast and some late lunch/early dinner service. Delivery is available for five or more box lunches and catering. Those wishing to order four or less box lunches may pick up from the store front on 68th Street. She noted that it is the Apple Spice team that delivers the food, not an outside service. This is to assure that items are set up to the customer’s expectations, she said.

And things were going pretty well with the couple even adding their own sandwich, the Michigan Cherry Chicken, to the menu and coming up with a “bread flight” that features three of the catering company’s breads.

Then, the pandemic hit.

“We just watched as our catering business went from steady to zero,” Jacobs said. But the business had a second side, box lunches, which offered a solution to providing individual meals for groups.

“People wanted to help hospital workers or police and fire and they would call up to have box lunches sent to a certain floor staff or department,” Jacobs said. The heavy duty box, which Jacobs said teachers find all kinds of creative ways to use, includes a sandwich, pickle, cookie, and a choice of salads, chips or fresh fruit in the classic box. There are other options as well including salad box meals.

The box lunches helped the business through the pandemic, making up almost 95 percent of its business. The business is now seeing more of a 60/40 spited between its box lunches and catering. Of course, there have been supply demands, with the couple adding a storage container in the back parking lot which has allowed them to stock up on items when they do find them.

It takes two

“I like going to Wyoming Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce events such as the B2 Outlet opening because it gives me the opportunity to network and meet new people,” Jacobs said. “The Chamber is a good resource for me.”

And while Jacobs maybe good at networking and marketing, she does have her weaknesses.

“I can’t work the computer,” she said looking hesitantly over at her work station. “I just learned one system and they changed it on me. I have to rely on Mike, my general manager and staff to help me.”

That is where having a partner has been key to the business’s success, Jacobs said, adding that Mike handles a lot of the operational needs while she focuses on promotions and networking.

“Sometimes I get a call from a customer and I just know it would be better if a man handled it,” she said. “That is when I can ask Mike if he can take it and sometimes, he gets a call and knows it would be better if a woman took the call, so he gives it to me.”

As for challenges of being a women in the catering world, Jacobs admits she has not had many. Husband Mike said he feels it is because the business they are in, food and catering, is fairly diverse.

“I think there would be more challenges if Nancy was say in something like manufacturing which is more male dominated,” he said.

 

Apple Spice is the couple’s retirement job as they look toward the future. Jacobs said they hope to get a recreational vehicle someday and travel. They currently do some travel as certified Kansas City Barbecue Society judges.

As for now, Nancy Jacob said the couple’s goal is to continue to build Apple Spice and on that note, as the promotions person, she didn’t hesitate to add to encourage people to connect and check out Apple Spice’s offerings.

Apple Spice is located at 701 68th St. SW. The phone number is 616-805-3288 or visit the website at www.applesauce.com.

Featuring 15 emerging artists, the stage is set for The Stray’s first-ever Battle of the Bands

Entertainment, Local Entertainment, Recreation, West Michigan, , , ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

March is Reading Month. March is Women’s History Month. And March 2022 is Battle of the Bands month at Wyoming’s The Stray.

The Stray Cafe, located at 4253 Division Ave., Wyoming, will host its first Battle of the Bands, running every Friday in the month of March. (Supplied)

Starting this Friday, March 4, and for the next two Fridays, Wyoming’s The Stray Cafe will be hosting its first-ever Battle of the Bands which will feature 15 Michigan bands, most from the Grand Rapids area with others coming from Detroit, Lansing, Kalamazoo and Allen Park.

“We wanted to give young and emerging artists a chance for exposure, networking, and some compensation within a high-quality listening environment,” said The Stray’s Music and Arts Manager Hunter VanKlompenberg. “We generally value collaboration over competition, but we hope in this case that the premise of friendly competition will help gather audience excitement and will bring out the best in the performers.”

When looking for performers, VanKlompenberg said there were a number of factors the venue considered, quality being the top one along with diversity in genre, gender, age and background.

“Finally, we looked at the effort put forth in their application/online presence,” he said. “Overall, there’s a balance between looking for quality and looking for artist that this would be a great opportunity for. We weren’t necessarily looking for huge touring acts because it wouldn’t be as much of a growth opportunity for them.”

Five bands will compete each Friday by performing a 20-minute set. The winner from each of those preliminary rounds will advance to the final round which will be March 25. In that round, each of the remaining three bands will before a 45-minute set. There will be a populous vote and judge’s vote that will be combined to determine the winners. The winner of the March 25 event will receive $300 and a free photoshoot and an opportunity to record at Dogtown Studio, a Grand Rapids-based studio that specializes in live sessions for bands and musicians. Second and third place will each receive $100. All three finalists will be featured on the WKTV Journal in the month of April.

This Friday’s line-up includes Tink and the Lost Boys, The Dead Lennies, Sebastian and the Mood, DaisyBox, and The Polyphonic Element. Guest judge will be Andrea “Dre” Wallace, a West Michigan native who is a music producer/DJ, entrepreneur and technologist.

The Stray’s Music and Arts Manager Hunter VanKlompenberg said they hope “friendly competition will help gather audience excitement and will bring out the best in the performers.” (Supplied)

On March 11, Bond Girl, Shnkool, Grace Thiesen, Josh Graveling and the Epitones will perform. Guest judge will be Elle Lively, who is the owner of Crooked Tree Creative, a Michigan-based management and consulting company geared towards empowering up-and-coming artists.

On Mach 18, the performers will be Ficus, Whorled, Painted Friends, Low Phase, and Dalmatian Stone. Guest judge will be Jake Rye, who is a producer, songwriter and mixer based in southeast Michigan, who over the past 14 years has mixed more than 1,000 songs including many billboard charting radio singles. 

The final night, March 25, will be judged by John Sinkevics, who is a career journalist, musician and founder of Local Spins, the state’s fastest-growing music website that covers the West Michigan music scene.

 

“We hope to provide opportunities for growth to local artists, put on a handful of incredible shows, and introduce audience members to bands they may not have known of before,” VanKlopemberg said.

The event is free with The Stray offering a range of food items such as flatbread pizzas, salads, and nachos along with a selection of beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

 

The Stray Cafe is located at 4253 S. Division Ave. For more information, visit The Stray’s website or Facebook page. 

A piece of track at downtown GVSU connects to Wyoming’s past

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming, Local History, Our Cities, Recreation, West Michigan, , , ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Realtor Sam Wilson added a large roof and benches to his Wyoming Park office for the comfort of local residents (and potential buyers) waiting for the next interurban car. (Wyoming Historical Commission)

Recently, Grand Valley State University commemorated remnants of the interurban railway tracks on its downtown campus, rails that once connected to a station in the City of Wyoming that served as a key connector for those wishing to travel to the lakeshore or Kalamazoo.

Started in 1901, the electric transportation system, called the Grand Rapids, Holland, and Chicago Railway, started with a line to Holland and in the following year, 1902, added a Muskegon line. Delayed by politics, the line to Kalamazoo was completed in 1915 by the Michigan Railway Company. Passengers of the interurban could make the decision of if they were heading west or south at a station near Lee Street and Grandville Avenue (now Chicago Drive), located in the City of Wyoming.

“It was located by the old Kelvinator building,” said David Britten, who is with the Wyoming Historical Commission. This made sense since the home appliance manufacturer would open its doors in 1914 with the interurban providing an easy way for residents to get to the plant for work.

There were several stops in the City of Wyoming. If you took the route toward Holland, the interurban would stop at Beverly Hills, Wyoming Park, and Elmbrook neighborhoods. Businessmen took advantage of those route stops to promote bungalow-style homes, spurring growth within the City of Wyoming. Take the interurban to Kalamazoo, which ran along side Divisions Avenue, and it would stop on 50th Avenue in the Kelloggsville neighborhood and  54th Street before heading on to Cutlerville as the train made its way to Kalamazoo. Today Consumer’s Energy power lines follow the old Kalamazoo route.

An ad for the Elmbrook community located between Porter and 28th Street west Byron Center Avenue. (The Street Railways of Grand Rapids by Carl Bajema and Tom maas)

Britten said you can see the interurban route through a Google map overview, but that little remains of the actual tracks.

“In many places, they just paved right over the tracks,” he said, adding the tracks would have run behind the current Godfrey-Lee athletic fields. Some years ago, owners of the property dug up the remaining tracks and pieces, which Britten said he did salvage a few items.

But the tracks contained within a brick inlay on the Mount Vernon pedestrian pathway on GVSU’s Pew Grand Rapids Campus, are more than likely the last stretch of any interurban tracks in West Michigan, according to a GVSU historian.

The exhibit placed above the tracks uses images and text to explain the interurban system and its impact on the region. The piece also gives related historical context for the time, such as how the Grand River was a “working waterfront.” According to Britten, the interurban would travel across the now cement bridge that is a pedestrian crossing for residents to and from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. From there it would make its way south along Grandville Avenue, passing through the car holding area that is now where Grand Valley State University’s downtown campus is located.

At the heart of the commemorative project is a core narrative that is important to the community, said Nathan Kemler, GVSU director of Galleries and Collections, who helped lead the effort to create and install the piece.

The remaining interurban track is contained within a brick inlay on the Mount Vernon pedestrian pathway on the Grand Valley State University’s Pew Grand Rapids Campus. (GVSU)

“One reason this project is so impactful is that it was an early sustainable transportation method that was rooted in equity,” said Kemler of the themes captured in the exhibit that is part of the GVSU Art Gallery. “Anybody could ride the Interurban, and it would take you into the city or outside of it to Lake Michigan, Lake Macatawa, or farms.”

Kemler noted that someone could take the Interurban from Grand Rapids to Lake Michigan, then board a steam ship for Chicago, and it was all done through electric power.

Learning about the prevalence of such green technology long ago is eye-opening for students, said Matthew Daley, GVSU professor of history, who was the key researcher on the project.

“Students are stunned that there was this huge integrated network of electric freight and passenger service that then tied into a citywide network of street cars,” Daley said. “You could take an interurban that produced no soot, no dirt, and at some point on West Michigan lines reach over 70 mph.”

In fact, reporters who road the Kalamazoo route noted that the train could cover 47 miles between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo in 44 minutes, according to the book “The Street Railways of Grand Rapids,” by Carl Bajema and Tom Mass.

“It ran really well until Americans discovered in the 1920s that they liked cars,” Daley said.

A GVSU employee puts the finishing touches on the outdoor exhibit about the interurban which is now located at Grand Valley State University’s downtown Pew Campus. (GVSU)

The paving of roads would help to establish the American car industry. By 1926, the Grand Rapids, Holland and Chicago Railway was sold at auction. Britten noted that in 1927, the United Suburban Railway was organized to restore car service from Jenison to Grand Rapids.

 

“It was called the shortest track with the most stockholders,” Britten said with a laugh. The seven miles of track had 700 stockholders. The United Suburban Railway would last until about 1932.

Daley and Kemler both said the story of the interurban gives important insight into fleeting economic conditions, how people come together, the environmental impact on the Grand River and how the community has evolved.

“This is about the changing landscape of Grand Rapids itself and understanding this location before the Grand Valley campus was here and before downtown was revitalized,” Kemler said.

There are no markers in Wyoming of the former interurban, which Britten said it would be nice if a marker was placed. There is only a small portion of the interurban that is part of the walking/bike trail Oxford Trail, which is in Grand Rapids. The Oxford Trail does cross over the old swing bridge the interurban once used, according to Britten.

New Ford bobblehead offers reminder of the contributions of those who served as president

3-bottom, Local Faces, Our Cities, Recreation, Sports, West Michigan, ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

The recently released bobblehead of Gerald R. Ford is the second one to feature the 38th president. (Supplied)

He has an elementary school, amphitheater, post office, gardens, airport and numerous roadways named after him and now Grand Rapids’ favorite son, Gerald R. Ford, has his likeness on a bobblehead.

Actually, the newly release bobblehead in honor of Presidents’ Day is not the first time the 38th President of the United States has been memorialized on a bobblehead, but it is the first time a complete series of United States presidential bobbleheads have been released. Milwaukee’s National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum — think Madame Trussauds’ wax figures only in bobbleheads — released the series today, the day designated to celebrate the U.S. Office of the President.

“We’re excited to release this complete collection of bobbleheads featuring all 46 U.S. Presidents to celebrate Presidents’ Day,” said Phil Sklar, CEO and co-founder of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum. “Each president played an important part in our country’s history, and we think people will enjoy this new series of presidential bobbleheads.”

Presidents’ Day started in 1879 by an Act of Congress to honor the nation’s first president, George Washington, whose birthday in the Gregorian calendar is on Feb. 22. (Washington was born on Feb. 11 under the Julian calendar which because it did not account for leap days, was about 11 days  behind the Gregorian calendar, the calendar that had been adopted by the countries tied to the Catholic church. In 1752, the British Empire switched to the Gregorian calendar.)

Miwaukee’s National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum released the first complete set of presidential bobbleheads. (Supplied)

There was a movement in 1951, to have a “Presidents’ Day.” It wasn’t until 1971 that the official holiday was shifted to the third Monday in February under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which was a move to shift many federal holidays to a three-day weekend. The act also combined the birthdays of Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who was born on Feb. 12, into a single holiday that honored all of the U.S. Presidents.

This change took effect with an executive order from the President Richard Nixon whose vice president at the time was Spiro Agnew. In 1973, Agnew resigned with Nixon choosing Ford as his new vice president. As Ford and his wife Betty prepared to  move to the new vice president’s residence, Ford received a call to be ready to become the next U.S. President, which he did on Aug. 9, 1974.

Ford is the only person to serve as U.S. president without ever having been elected to the office. He would lose his bid for reelection to Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Today, Ford’s museum is in Grand Rapids, his childhood home, and his library is in Ann Arbor, where he attended the University of Michigan. Over the years, several other places have honored Ford by bestowing his name on several buildings such as the Gerald R. Ford Elementary School in Indian Wells, California; the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail, Colorado; the Gerald R. Ford Post Office in Vail, Colorado; the Gerald R. Ford Birth Site and Gardens in Omaha, Nebraska; and the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan. There are also several roadways in Tennessee, California, Texas, Nebraska, and Michigan, such as the Gerald R. Ford Freeway, I-196, that are named after the former president along with the Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse at Grand Rapids Community College as well as several books about his life.

The Ford bobblehead, along with the other 45 presidents, is available individuals or as part of the set through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s online store. The museum is located at 170 S. 1st. St. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is open seven days a week.

Watch for it — Ford International Airport to have commercial run on Super Bowl LVI telecast

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, Going Local, Local Business, Local History, Recreation, Sports, Travel, Upcoming Events, West Michigan, WKTV Projects, ,
The new statute for Gerald Ford has become hot spot for selfies. (Supplied/Ford Airport)

By WKTV Staff

The entertainment and sports world — and an estimated 1 million West Michigan viewers — will be focused on their televisions this Sunday as Super Bowl LVI plays and everybody attention is on the game, the halftime and, of course, those advertisements.

And it is not just beer and soda commercials either. Getting in on the action, the Gerald R. Ford International Airport has announced it, too, will air its first Super Bowl spot, a 30-second ad, which “leans on a football theme to underscore the ease of travel through Ford International Airport – complete with yellow flags over a penalty.”

The commercial was created by Extra Credit Projects, and recorded and produced with Taproot pictures in Grand Rapids.

“We are excited to unveil this new ad to our fans during the game of the year,” Dan Koorndyk, chair of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority, said in supplied material. “… The Super Bowl felt like a great opportunity to showcase the Airport to our community.”

Travel numbers grew steadily during 2021 for Ford International Airport, reaching 2.9 million passengers – 82 percent of its pre-pandemic numbers, which were records.

“The Airport has experienced tremendous growth and continues to advance plans for additional development, making it a huge economic driver in the region,” Rob Jackson, principal at Extra Credit Projects, said in supplied material. “The scale of the Super Bowl felt right … at the end of the day, it’s just exciting to be part of the big game and connect with such a broad audience in the region.”

The football connection also seems fitting for the airport’s namesake.

“The Ford International Airport has an undeniable connection to football as former President Gerald R. Ford helped lead his Michigan Wolverines to two undefeated seasons on the gridiron nearly nine decades ago,” Tory Richardson, president and CEO of Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority, said in supplied material.

What can be recycled in Kent County, and how to do it — COVID-19 at-home tests

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Community Health, Environment, Health, How-To's, Our Cities, Recycling, West Michigan, WKTV Projects, ,
  • Box containing COVID-19 home test kit. (WKTV)
  • “Medical” pieces of a COVID-19 home test kit. (Chicago.gov)
  • Plastic holder for COVID-19 home test kit parts. (Kent County)

By WKTV Staff and Kent County Department of Public Works

ken@wktv.org

What can and cannot be recycled in Kent County, and how do it. And what happens to everything else? WKTV Journal, working with Kent County Department of Public Works Resource Recovery Specialist Lauren Westerman, are working to look at specific consumer products and other items and give you the answers.

In this post, we look at those at-home COVID-19 rest kits — part plastic, part cardboard packaging and paper instructions, part that nasty stick you stuck up your nose and other medical materials. Maybe you want to just toss everything in the nearest trash can, but should you? Here is the lowdown from an expert:

(If you received the kit in the mail, remember to look for a recycling label on the mailer.)

Does your mailer envelope have a recycling label? (Kent County)

Remove the test supplies from the paperboard box. Flatten the box and place it into your curbside recycling cart. The paper instructions can also go into your curbside recycling cart. The box and paper will head to the Recycling Center where it is sorted out from non-paper items, baled, and transported to a local paper mill to be processed into a new paper product that can be used again.

After performing your COVID-19 at home test, throw away the swab, the wrapper from around the swab, the test card, the test card’s soft plastic pouch, and the empty plastic dropper bottle.

The only piece remaining is the hard plastic piece that (possibly) held all the various test pieces. If this hard piece of plastic has a recycling symbol on it, then it may be placed into your curbside recycling cart. The plastic will be sorted with similar rigid plastics at the Recycling Center, shipped to a facility where the plastic is flaked or pelletized, and eventually remolded into a new plastic item.

Do you have a question about a specific consumer product or other item? Contact WKTV at ken@wktv.org. Please send a photo of the product and the recycling label if available.

Local non-profit Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services launches capital campaign

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, Community Health, Health, Non-Profits, Upcoming Events, West Michigan, WKTV Projects, ,
This video, produced by Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, as shown at the kickoff of the group’s “Expanding Equal Access: A New Home for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services” fundraising campaign.

By Phil de Haan

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services

The first-ever major Capital Campaign for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services was publicly launched on January 24, 2022.

“Expanding Equal Access: A New Home for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services” is a $266,000 fundraising campaign that will allow D&HHS to become part of a large non-profit center being developed at the old South Christian High School on 68th Street in Grand Rapids, just west of a major bus line on South Division Avenue.

The project is being headed up by Special Olympics of Michigan and will see the 127,000 square foot building (which includes two gyms and a 735-seat auditorium) become home to 10 non-profits, all of which have advocacy and empowerment at the heart of everything they do.

D&HHS will join Special Olympics of Michigan, Autism Support of Kent County, Brody’s Be Café, Disability Advocates of Kent County, Down Syndrome Association of West Michigan, Far Out Volleyball Club, Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan/be nice, MOKA, and Thresholds in this new space.

The public launch event included remarks by Tim Hileman, president and CEO of Special Olympics of Michigan, who said: “I love days like today. It speaks to what really good organizations can do both individually and collectively. What they can do together.”

Hileman commended what he called the “great, great leadership” of D&HHS, including the staff and the board.

He added: “I love the name of your campaign. This new non-profit center truly is multiple organizations coming together to create access, and Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services is an important part of this project.”

D&HHS Board President Rowan O’Dougherty agreed.

“Deaf people need our agency,” he said. “And Deaf people need community. That’s why I am so excited about the move here. We currently have such limited space, but when we move here those limitations will go away. We can draw our community together to socialize, to play sports, have coffee at the Café. Our Deaf senior citizens could make this a weekly activity. It’s going to be great.”

For Mary Andringa, step-mother to Chad, now a Deaf adult, the new space will continue a long legacy of D&HHS service to her family.

“D&HHS has been a rock on which Chad could build his core values and see himself as a unique individual with talents and abilities,” she said. “The people here (D&HHS staff) were pivotal to his growth and mine. He has had the advocates he needed to protect his rights, and he has been called to grow. This agency has been a conduit. Or should I say a can-do-it place. This agency always feeds back truth.”

Board Treasurer, Mickey Carolan, asks for support of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services capital campaign. (D&HHS)

Mickey Carolan, the treasurer for the D&HHS board, spoke not just about money (though he did that too!) but also about his experience growing up as the child of Deaf adults, a CODA.

“I was born into a majority Deaf community,” he said. “It’s the reason I am here today. I remember growing up and the access my parents had to communities in Detroit and Flint and Saginaw. There hasn’t been a place on this side of the state for that kind of community. Until now. This is the spot. And I hope that the energy everyone here today brought inspires you, whatever that is. Maybe it’s a gift of $1. Maybe it’s $50,000 I don’t want to limit you. But whatever it is, we are grateful.”

Earl Howell and Dr. Robert Hohendorf of Lions Club International District 11-C1 present a check. (D&HHS)

Indeed, Carolan was grateful at the event to accept a check for $15,000 from Earl Howell and Dr. Robert Hohendorf of Lions Club International District 11-C1. That gift brought the current fundraising total to just over $133,000, just over half of the $266,000 total goal for the campaign.

D&HHS hopes to start the renovation of an old science lab into its new space in March 2022, pending fundraising. If all goes well it would move to the new non-profit center in the summer of 2022.

Images of the D&HHS space and the entire facility, plus the campaign video and photos from the campaign event, are online and available to media at: deafhhs.org/capital-campaign.

Meijer Gardens’ Michigan’s Farm Garden carries on the humble legacy of Lena Meijer as replica of early home

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Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s Michigan’s Farm Garden, a reproduction of Lena Meijer’s home early in life near Lakeview, Michigan. The windmill is actually from that farm. (Supplied/Dean VanDis)

By D.A. Reed, WKTV Contributing Writer

ken@wktv.org



The legacy of the late Lena Meijer — community advocate, philanthropist and so  much more — lives on in her family, in many ways in the Grand Rapids community, and, of course, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

And while Lena played a large role in the success of her family’s Midwest grocery super-center business, her life began on a humble farm near Lakeview, Michigan. And that humble beginning is on full, if slightly miniature, display at Meijer Gardens’ Michigan’s Farm Garden.

“She always spoke so lovingly of her upbringing and cherished that experience in her life,” David Hooker, President and CEO of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, said WKTV.

Fred and Lena Meijer. (Supplied/undated)

Both Lena and her husband, late grocery entrepreneur Fred Meijer, grew up on farms. A daughter of German immigrants George and Mary Rader, Lena was born and raised on the farm her parents acquired after settling near Lakeview, while Fred’s family farm was located in Greenville.

Lena and Fred never lost the desire to share their knowledge and love of the land with their community.

“They wanted people to really understand that food comes from a farm, it doesn’t come from their grocery stores,” said Hooker.

Through this desire, the Michigan’s Farm Garden was born.

“The idea for creating Michigan’s Farm Garden was so people could understand what the farming life was like, especially in the era of the 1930s when they both grew up,” said Hooker. “The fact that they wanted to recreate that experience for people is a testament to how Lena felt about it.”

Milking cows, fresh carrots … and that windmill

At the Michigan’s Farm Garden, visitors can find a three-quarter scale replica of the farmhouse where Lena was born and raised, a barn, vegetable and flower gardens, animal pens, and bronze sculptures of farm animals scattered throughout. Patrons are invited to sit in rocking chairs on the wraparound porch, and visit and relax.

Fred and Lena Meijer at the dedication of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s Michigan’s Farm Garden. (Supplied)

Another piece of Lena’s heritage she chose to share with the community is the windmill visitors see while visiting the Farm Garden. “That actual windmill came from her family’s farm,” Hooker said.

“She (Lena) learned at a very young age how to milk a cow and work the fields, and do everything that farmers do,” said Hooker.

One of Lena’s favorite stories involved milking cows. Hooker said Lena liked to joke about being so skilled at milking a cow that she could feed their cat at the same time.

“She could squirt the milk into the cat’s mouth from six feet away,” said Hooker.

Lena’s antics as a young farm girl didn’t end there.

One of the farm scene sculptures from the Michigan’s Farm Garden. The girl riding the pig, reportedly, is taken from Lena’s childhood. (Supplied/William J. Hebert)

“As a young girl, she’d ride the pigs,” Hooker said. “In fact, we have a sculpture of Lena as a little girl riding a pig out in Michigan’s Farm Garden. It’s classic.”

When it was mentioned that it seemed like Lena had some “spunk” in her personality, Hooker agreed — “Oh, she had a ton. Absolutely.”

Lena died at the age of 102 on Jan. 15. She will be buried beside her husband at Michigan’s Farm Garden, laid to rest in a place they both loved to visit in their twilight years.

“If it was the right time of year, they would pull a carrot right of the ground, wash it off, and they’d eat it,” said Hooker.

Children, learning and lots of beautiful plants

Lena’s love of gardening and plants is also revealed in the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory and, especially, the Lena Meijer Children’s Garden.

“(Lena) loved kids and loved the idea of a garden dedicated to children learning about gardening and learning about how life itself would not be possible without plants,” Hooker said.

Lena Meijer at the 2017 groundbreaking of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s expansion projects. (Supplied/Anthony Norkus Photography)

The Children’s Garden promotes interactive learning and the use of all five senses with various hands-on activities for children and their families.

“Meijer Gardens is a gift to all of us as a community,” said Hooker. “This is what Fred and Lena were interested in and they gave this to us as a gift. For this gift to mean anything, come on out and visit! It’s here for everyone to enjoy.”

For more information about Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park visit meijergardens.org.

Winter fun — Gilmore’s Winter Motoring Meet, vintage snowmobile show set for Feb. 5

Entertainment, Kids Activities, Local Entertainment, Local History, Recreation, Sports, Upcoming Events, West Michigan, WKTV Projects,
(Gilmore Car Museum)

By WKTV Staff

ken@wktv.org


The second annual Winter Motoring Meet will return to the Gilmore Car Museum Saturday, Feb. 5, with a day of outdoor family fun in Michigan’s winter weather, plus full access to the museum’s indoor collection of more than 400 classic vehicles.

Access to the Winter Motoring Meet and related activities will be included in standard daily admission to the museum, according to an announcement from the museum.

The Gilmore Car Museum’s Winter Motoring Meet will include winter machines of all kinds. (Supplied/by Lew Verburg)

“The Gilmore Car Museum’s Winter Motoring Meet is for folks who appreciate Michigan’s Winter Motoring season, whether in their cars, 4×4 trucks, Jeeps, or snowmobiles,” Josh Russell,  executive director of the Gilmore Car Museum, said in supplied material. “It’s a fun way for us to get outside and enjoy the winter season, in an outdoor environment with plenty of space to spread out and enjoy our 90-acre campus.”

The Winter Motoring Meet will include scenic rides around the snow-covered Gilmore campus in several of the museum’s antique cars and trucks, a special exhibit of vintage snowmobiles, a professional ice carving exhibition, and outdoor games.

The Gilmore Car Museum’s Winter Motoring Meet will include classic snowmobiles. (Supplied/by Lew Verburg)

A special 1-day-only exhibit of antique, vintage, and racing snowmobiles (from 1992 and older) will be on featured display at the Winter Motoring Meet. The indoor and outdoor snowmobile exhibit has been coordinated with help and support from Vintage Snowmobile Michigan — snowmobile enthusiasts from across Michigan and the Great Lakes region (facebook.com/VintageSnowmobileMichigan).

Guests will also be able to warm up by an outdoor fire, with available food and beverage options to include homemade soup, gourmet hot chocolate, winter beer, a glass of wine, or a favorite cocktail.

“If we’re lucky enough to have fresh snow on the day of our meet, guests are welcome to bring their own snowshoes or cross-country skis for a trek across our beautiful 90-acre campus,” the announcement states.

The Gilmore Car Museum’s Winter Motoring Meet will include tours in antique vehicles. (Supplied/by Josh Russell)

Free “glorified sleigh rides” through the snow-covered Gilmore campus will also be offered to museum guests, riding on bench seats in the bed of a classic Ford Model AA pickup truck, and in other classic “open air” cars and trucks from the museum’s collection.

“Guests should consider bringing their warm coats, hats, gloves, and perhaps even blankets,” the announcement states.

For general questions or more information, visit GilmoreCarMuseum.org, call 269- 671-5089 or email info@gilmorecarmuseum.org.