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Happy Mother's Day, Southwest Michigan! John Grap

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Longform housing solutions Rose Street Senior Housing Building Communities

Online portal is open for new housing projects in Kalamazoo County

Al JonesThursday, January 11, 2024
A  five-story, affordable residential development for seniors that will have four residential floors with parking on the ground level is quickly going up in the 500 block of South Rose Street.
Feature Story Robin McCarthy Kids and Education

Voices of Youth: Breaking free from the mirror and understanding body dysmorphic disorder

Lila McCarthyThursday, January 11, 2024
Hangups about our bodies are common, especially in teens who identify as female. Sometimes, these dislikes evolve into obsessions and distortions. VOY Writer Lila McCarthy talks to a Battle Creek therapist about body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) — what it is and how to address it.
Longform Kim Hargis, LPN works on a mandala mural at Summit Pointe. Healthy Communities

To build a mental wellness plan, take it one step at a time

Joanne Bailey-BoorsmaTuesday, January 9, 2024
Michigan mental health professionals share tips on building a mental wellness plan for 2024.
Feature Story LIST Community Development

10 stories of 2023 and their impact on the writers and photographers who covered them

Thursday, January 4, 2024
Southwest Michigan Second Wave is a team of local writers and photographers who love where they live. The stories they cover impact them and strengthen their sense of community. Read some of their reflections on 2023 stories here.
Longform Best of 2023 Arts and Culture

Beyond words: Kalamazoo in photos, 2023

Fran DwightThursday, January 4, 2024
A photograph captures a moment in time — but for a photographer, there's usually so much more to the story. Check out some of Fran Dwight's favorite 2023 photos. She shares a few thoughts about how she connected with the moment the shutter clicked.
Feature Story Jennifer Cooley Arts and Culture

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts turns 100 and Jennifer Cooley wants to help you celebrate

Zinta AistarsThursday, January 4, 2024
Introducing Jennifer Cooley, the new museum education and community engagement director at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. As the KIA approaches its 100th anniversary, she has a few surprises in store.
Longform Voices of Youth Kids and Education

Voices of Youth: Struggling students wonder: Who can I talk to?

Elizabeth RamosThursday, January 4, 2024
Middle school students navigate the daily dramas of early adolescent social life, along with other pressures. When things go south, where can they turn? 
Feature Story Candace-Small Equity

A lack of awareness about service animals leads to discrimination

Lucia RiosSaturday, December 30, 2023
Candace Carlisle says she and her trained service dog regularly are asked to leave restaurants and stores, even though such a request is illegal.   
Feature Story SHARE Center Community Development

Building community, raising funds for Battle Creek’s most vulnerable

Jane ParikhThursday, December 21, 2023
The SHARE Center of Battle Creek feeds 100 people a day and offers a variety of free services through its drop-in center. But some people still don't know it exists. Enter Friends of the SHARE Center who are raising money and spreading the word.
Feature Story Housing Solutions Kal Recovery Building Communities

Supportive housing is planned for those struggling to overcome addictions in Kalamazoo

Al JonesThursday, December 21, 2023
Kal Recovery, a supportive recovery housing development that involves the construction of 48 apartments is getting closer to becoming a reality. The project will include three buildings on a little less than seven acres of a 12-acre site between Alcott and Reed streets.
Feature Story Housing Solutions Vouchers Pilot Building Communities

Kalamazoo pilot program could see more landlords renting to those with housing assistance

Mark WedelThursday, December 21, 2023
The City of Kalamazoo wants to see if it can get more landlords to accept tenants whose rent is subsidized by federal housing vouchers with a pilot program to help landlords pay for the renovations needed to meet the standards that come with accepting rent in this manner. This is a story Mark Wedel has been working on since 2022.
Feature Story Free to Bloom Kids and Education

How a Southwest Michigan greenhouse grows children who are Free to Bloom

Zinta AistarsThursday, December 21, 2023
“What we as adults need to do is to question our beliefs and values — are we actually living and acting on them,” says Bridget Blough who co-founded Free to Bloom, a homeschool cooperative that meets in a greenhouse. “Too many of us are disassociated from what we value and how we live. Take your money to do what you love — beginning with your child.”
Longform Voices of Youth Kids and Education

Voices of Youth: Easy access to smoking products makes it tough for teens to avoid the smoke

Anas ElkasfrawyThursday, December 21, 2023
Vaping and marijuana are so prevalent that some schools are closing bathrooms to prohibit students from using products during school. One Voices of Youth writer speaks with peers, administrators, and health experts about what the U.S. Surgeon General has called a dangerous epidemic among today's youth.
In The News LIST Community Development

Battle Creek nonprofits share in $35 million in relief funds

Jane ParikhThursday, December 21, 2023
A total of 15 Battle Creek area nonprofits are among 1,373 nonprofits throughout Michigan that are sharing in a $35 million pool of funds administered by the Michigan Nonprofit Association. These funds are aimed at nonprofits affected by COVID-19, especially those who work with underserved populations.
Longform Medical debt Second Wave - MichiganHealthy Communities

As Oakland County pays off 80,000 residents' doctor bills, how can Michigan solve medical debt?

Estelle SlootmakerWednesday, December 20, 2023
Oakland County's debt relief initiative highlights the overwhelming burden of medical debt for countless others in Michigan and beyond.
Feature Story Will-SMALL Equity

Will Wilson steps up as new CEO of DNWM

Shandra MartinezMonday, December 18, 2023
A familiar face will lead Disability Network West Michigan. Will Wilson has been with the nonprofit for 14 years and was the interim CEO for the past nine months.
Feature Story Literacy Lane Building Communities

From litter to literacy: Trail and playstreet coming to Edison celebrate nature and reading

Mark WedelThursday, December 14, 2023
A formerly littered path along Portage Creek in Edison is transforming into Literacy Trail and a street near a former dumping ground will become a closed-off playstreet called Literacy Lane — thanks to the Kalamazoo Literacy Council, Edison Resident Scholars, the City of Kalamazoo, and other partners.
Feature Story Pictured from left to right: Joddie Noblit, Emilie Cummins, Jeane Grabe, Conor Caswell, Schellie Caswell, Deacon Trish Harris. Seated is Bev Chase. Healthy Communities

Laundry Love: Finding community and dignity at a Battle Creek laundromat

Jane ParikhThursday, December 14, 2023
St. Thomas' Laundry Love is focused on those who are “struggling to make ends meet,” says Deacon Trish Harris. “There are people who have asked me, ‘How do you know if I meet the qualifications?’ We have no qualifications. We want them to know that we see you as an important person and we’re coming to you with love."
Feature Story Kidney Donation Community Development

Chance meeting results in profound gift when Battle Creek woman donated kidney to Portage man

Jane ParikhThursday, December 14, 2023
Jill Anderson of Battle Creek wondered what it takes to give a kidney when a Portage woman she had just met shared that her husband was in desperate need. Now she knows. “We are born with four times the kidney power that we need to survive," says Anderson. "By giving away half of that, you can save another life and you’ve still got plenty of kidney function.”
Feature Story Northern Initiatives Entrepreneurship

How some Southwest Michigan entrepreneurs stack the odds in their favor

Mike WenningerThursday, December 14, 2023
Who hasn't dreamed of owning their own businesses? Most of us can count on two hands the business ideas we've had. Some budding entrepreneurs have taken their ideas to the next level, seeking out financial support, expertise, and handholding to make their dreams come true.
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Battle Creek

Battle Creek's Washington Heights reaching new heights in affordable housing stock

“We have demonstrated that we’ll do what we say we’re going to do. Some of the barriers we’ve had to overcome we’ve looked at as opportunities. These new homes will be an opportunity for residents to create generational wealth and go from renter-ship to homeownership.” For the full story, click here. For more stories, please visit here.
 

Kalamazoo

Beyond belief: How faith communities are lighting the way on climate change

In this first installment of our Sacred Earth series, we speak with Dr. Cybelle Shattuck, whose combined interests in sustainability and religion have helped her identify how faith institutions engage, support, and undertake earth care. Read the full story here. Read more stories here.
 

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