Features

Feature Story A map shows the devastation of the Great Fire of 1871 to the city of Holland.

Holland history: The Great Fire of 1871

The final in our Holland History series looks at the Great Fire of 1871. Holland was far from the only city devastated by fire that day.

Feature Story Douglas Easter parade

Things to do in April: Toy show, dance, art, egg hunts, Cowboy Junkies on Lakeshore calendar

Whether your jam is theater, egg hunts, art, birds of prey and beer, or — of course — music, The Lakeshore has it all this April. 

Feature Story The Old Wing Mission, first built in 1844, still stands today on 147th Avenue, southeast of Holland, Mich., and is recognized on the registry of historical places.

Holland history: The brief, turbulent relationship between settlers and Indigenous Americans

The clash of cultures and overwhelming influx of immigrants worked against a tranquil co-existence between Indigenous Americans and the Dutch settlers along the shores of Black Lake in the mid-1800s.

Feature Story The Holland Chorale, Park Theatre and the Holland Symphony Orchestra are among the nonprofits taking part in Capacity Building: Michigan Lakeshore.

‘Capacity-building’ program helping Lakeshore arts organizations thrive for decades to come

Michael Kaiser, the former Kennedy Center leader and a pioneer in arts management, is working with Lakeshore arts and culture organizations to strengthen their management practices so they are around for decades to come.

Feature Story Rendering of what Ottawa Beach General Store will look like after the rebuild.

Owners plan to rebuild vintage General Store near Holland beach

Plans call for rebuilding the popular Ottawa Beach General Store after the 2023 summer season so it will be ready to open for the 2024 season. Owners promise the new structure will have the same vintage look. 

Feature Story The Secchia Institute is partnering with Ottawa Area Intermediate School District’s Careerline Tech Center. (GRCC)

GRCC students among finalists in competition to send a meal to space station

The Secchia Institute is partnering with Ottawa Area Intermediate School District’s Careerline Tech Center, with students Katie Bird and Devon Vanderwall preparing a recipe of Austrian-style steak soup for the NASA HUNCH mission.

Feature Story springlakemarina

Spring Lake's award-winning waterfront park

Spring Lake's waterfront amenities and award-winning park draw tourists from all over. “We are fortunate enough to live where everybody else vacations,” says Christine Burns, village manager. 

Feature Story Reza Nematy's work with the U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan qualified him and his immediate family to come to the United States as refugees.

Afghan refugee, Haworth employee among honorees at Literacy Center of West Michigan's Spellebration

​​In Afghanistan, Reza Nematy had been a flourishing member of his community as a software designer and entrepreneur. After coming to the United States, he struggled with English proficiency, but the Literacy Center of West Michigan's Customized Workplace English program has changed his outlook.

Feature Story  In July, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced its first bill of rights for travelers with disabilities.

How a new DOT bill of rights will make flying better for those with disabilities

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s first bill of rights for travelers with disabilities applies to all flights in the United States, and is designed to be a summary meant to help travelers understand and assert their rights under the Air Carrier Access Act, passed in 1986.

Feature Story A photograph of Judith Heumann. She is sitting in her power chair behind table covered with a white table cloth. There is a microphone and a name placard in the foreground.

How the godmother of the disability rights movement changed my life

Judith Heumann was a mentor I never met. Her life’s work reminds us that our voices and persistence can make a difference.

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