By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org
To say 2020 has been an interesting year, is probably the understatement of the year. This time in 2019, we were getting hints as to what was about to come and coronavirus, or COVID, came like a running back with the ball in his hands and an open field to the end zone.
As we get reading to make that final flip to the new year, and hopefully COVID in the review mirror, we thought we would take a look at some of the top stories of 2020.
It’s all about the pups…Pronto Pups
Who knew that the area’s love for Pronto Pups was so strong? Wyoming’s Andy Bogart and Kentwood’s Matt Morton certainly did and the duo’s effort to bring Pronto Pups to Grand Rapids became the top WKTV Journal story for 2020.
The two partnered up during the spring shutdown to secure a license from the national chain, Pronto Pups, based out of Portland, Oregon, to bring Pronto Pups to locations in and around Kent County. Pronto Pups Grand Rapids, not affiliated with the stand in Grand Haven, offers both traditional Pronto Pups, the battered dipped hot dog on a stick, and ones with a twist such as Breakfast Pups and Pickle Pups. The operation, which has a location at Comstock Park’s Elk Brewing as well as a food truck, is on a winter hiatus with plans to be resume deep frying those dogs in spring of 2021.
Elections, Elections, Elections
As the national race heated up, we had some local races that piqued everyone’s attention. Of note, was the Kent County treasurer position. With the announcement of Ken Parrish retiring at county treasurer, several people put their names in the ring including State Senator Peter MacGregor, who won his bid in the November election.
There were other changes such as longtime Wyoming resident Harold Voorhees announcing his retirement as Kent County 8th District Commissioner. Former Wyoming City Council member Dan Burrill won the seat in November with newcomer John Fitzgerald elected to replace Burrill at the city council.
Harold Voorhees retired as the Kent County 8th District Commissioner 
Dan Burrill was elected as the new Kent County 8th District Commissioner 
John Fitzgerald was elected to the Wyoming City Council
The City of Kentwood also saw a big change as its first and only district judge, William G. Kelly, retired from the 62-B District Court with Amanda Sterkenburg winning the seat in the November election.
William G. Kelly retired as Kentwood’s 62-B District judge 
Amanda Sterkenburg was elected to the 62-B District Court judge position in November.
Also of interest in 2020 was the voting process as many on the national, state and local level, followed how the state would be handling absentee voting. In 2018, Michigan voters approved an amendment that allowed for anyone to vote absentee. Due to the pandemic, many sought this option for the 2020 election.
The End of an Era
Before the pandemic, Mike Sprenger made the difficult decision to close Wyoming’s Springrove Variety Store. He said dime stores like Springrove had “outlived our niche.” Started in 1958 as the Suburban 5 & 10, Sprenger had owned the store since 2008. It was part of small chain of dime stores he owned that included one in Lowell, which Sprenger closed in August.
Interestingly, many of our readers also turned back to a story we published in January 2019 about Green Stamps, which had a redemption store at Rogers Plaza Mall. The popularity of the story about Green Stamps pushed it into the top five stories of 2020.
Other top stories from Wyoming
Other top stories for the City of Wyoming included the ribbon cutting and official reopening of Pinery Park six years after a tornado damaged the park.
The city said good-bye to K-9 Dutch as he retired from the Wyoming Department of Public Safety after nine years of service.
One happy couple did not let COVID, or the fact that they were working long shifts at Metro Health – University of Michigan Health, prevent them from having a wedding. Hospital staff stepped in to help the couple, Melanie Bork and Bradley Wernette, tie the knot on April 17, 2020.
After 11 weeks of quarantine, area residents were really in the mood to celebrate July 4. With most firework displays cancelled for this year, residents began lighting up the skies a little too early with our story on when fireworks can be used making the top ten.
Back to Business…Sort of
Another top story was the announcement of the CityLine Apartments being constructed on Division Avenue near 52nd Street. It is the first Kentwood development project that was approved using the Form Based Code, which was designed by the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood to aid in the redevelopment of the Division Avenue corridor.
There was excitement when the Metro Health Farmers Market and other local markets opened in the summer and of course, local businesses, especially restaurants were of concern as guidelines to help keep the COVID virus from spreading impacted in-dining services. Businesses got creative with breweries moving eating areas to outside and a Takeout Challenge was made by Kent County Commissioners.
We celebrated as new businesses opened such as Alpha Human Performance, Queen’s Hair and Beauty Supply, and The Pink Lounge: Salt Therapy.
Woodland Mall also had a number of exciting events including the opening of Von Maur however, our top story from the the Woodland Mall was its weekend showcase of black-owned businesses.
Other top stories from Kentwood
In lieu of its traditional open house for National Public Works Week, the City of Kentwood’s Department of Public Works hosted a big trucks parade in May much to the delight of its residents.
A group of East Kentwood High School students made election waves by hosting a drive-thru registration event at Celebration South.
The annual disc golf tournament helped collect needed food items for the Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry and the Kent District Library closed the internet gap by offering hotspots, now available at all KDL branches. KDL’s help in building a library at Godfrey Lee’s East Campus was another top story.
The Headlines from Sports
While many things went virtual — such as most of the entertainment offerings — high school sports managed to move it down field until about November when a partial lockdown went into effect.
Some of the top sports stories were:
Wyoming high suspends football operations due to positive COVID-19 tests
Senior-led Legends defeat Godwin Heights, 4-1, in season-opening soccer action
COVID’s changes to meets, spectators cannot stop Potter’s House cross country from improvement goals
