Fire Arts Collaborative is a 10-year-old nonprofit in Edison.
Fire Arts Collaborative is a 10-year-old nonprofit in Edison. Fran Dwight
Fire Arts Collaborative is a 10-year-old nonprofit in Edison.
Fire Arts Collaborative is a 10-year-old nonprofit in Edison. Fran Dwight

Voices of Youth: Racism is a hard lesson for young people in high school Read Article

Jaden Davis

Seeking a less stressful, elegant wedding option? Consider Elopement Day at Battle Creek farm Read Article

Courtesy: Of the Land

'We're all related, we're all connected': Many march for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Read Article

John Grap

Final Chapter: Kalamazoo remembers Dean Hauck and the legacy of Michigan News Read Article

Fran Dwight

Antique expert to share tips, tricks, and treasures at Battle Creek’s Regional History Museum Read Article

UnSplash: Alexander Schimmeck

Voices of Youth: Burnout in high school can happen, but you’re not alone Read Article

UnSplash: Nguyen Phan Nam Anh

Features

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Partner Content womensleadershipgroup Rural Innovation ExchangeEquity

Narrowing the gender gap in municipal leadership

Greg TaskerThursday, August 3, 2023
The Michigan Municipal League is working to narrow the gender gap in the leadership posts in municipal government. Its Women's Municipal Leadership Program has helped women across the state rise to higher leadership positions in local government. The program has become a national model. 
Feature Story BC KPS Kids and Education

Kindergarten Success Program prepares Battle Creek's youngest learners

Jane ParikhThursday, August 3, 2023
 In its sixth year, Battle Creek's free summer Kindergarten Success Program helps students entering kindergarten have academic, social, and structural advantages. “I’m trying to give my son the experiences I didn’t get,” says Jahkeem Stone, a KSP parent. “I’m trying to get him to be well-rounded and boisterous and comfortable with himself.”
Feature Story Back to School Bash Kids and Education

Family Health Center’s 17th Annual Back To School Bash set for Aug. 11

Al JonesThursday, August 3, 2023
The Family Health Center's Back to School Bash is an event counted on by over 1,500 families each year for well-child visits, immunizations, and school supplies. Plus it's a fun way for families to wrap up the summer.
Feature Story Scooter's Ice Cream Entrepreneurship

Ice Cream Summer: Scootin’ over to Scooters in Scotts

Sam KappThursday, August 3, 2023
Scooters Malt Shoppe and Traveling Treats in Scotts has small-town charm and great food to attract visitors from all over!   
Longform SWMi Journalism Collab Synergy Interns Healthy Communities

Haila Jiddou and Danielle DeVine: At the end of the day, this is all for the youth

Cori Osterman, Southwest Michigan Journalism CollaborativeWednesday, August 2, 2023
Synergy Health Center’s UrbanZone is headquartered offers after-school programs and summer workshops for Kalamazoo teens and this summer is offering experiences that will help them have fun and improve their mental health.
Longform Great Escape Stage Company Building Communities

Marshall theater company offers Great Escape that's cozy and live

Jane ParikhThursday, July 27, 2023
For over 10 years, Marshall's Great Escape Stage Company has been putting on big hits in a small space. With no more than 80 in the audience sitting 15 feet from the performers, a unique, theatrical bond is formed.
Feature Story Sean Hollins Entrepreneurship

Kalamazoo's RJ’s Printing legacy grows with new chapter and new owner

Mike WenningerThursday, July 27, 2023
RJ's Printing has been a beloved local business for nearly 30 years. In January, Kalamazoo's Sean Hollins bought the shop from Ralph Jones, keeping the legacy of the only known Black-owned printing business in Southwest Michigan growing as a collaborative "print partner."
Feature Story NHBP Healthy Communities

Guardianship barriers for Native Americans eased through State legislationCalhoun County Tribal Leadership plays key role

Jane ParikhThursday, July 27, 2023
Previously, Native American children placed in foster care with relatives lost financial assistance if guardianship was obtained. New state legislation changes that, thanks, in part, to Jamie Stuck, Tribal Chairperson for the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi. 
Longform Lexi Tuley Kids and Education

Voices of Youth: National debate on transgender athletes gets Kalamazoo high school input

Thea PipeThursday, July 27, 2023
Nationwide transgender athletes are facing tough questions about fairness. Voices of Youth's Thea Pipe, a recently-graduated transgender varsity athlete at Loy Norrix High School, speaks with peers and administrators about their thoughts.
Longform A Way Home Housing Solutions Telemed Healthy Communities

WMed program to bring telehealth to unhoused youth, offering treatment otherwise beyond their reach

Mark WedelWednesday, July 26, 2023
Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine is launching a pilot program to provide telehealth care to children in the City of Kalamazoo who may have no access to clinics or needed specialists. A pilot will soon get underway to reach families in need of care that only specialists can provide.  
Feature Story Actors Carol Sizer and Bill Klein rehearse "Memory of a Dance," a play about dementia commissioned by the Southwest Michigan-based Region IV Area Agency on Aging to spread community awareness of the experiences of people living with dementia. Second Wave - MichiganHealthy Communities

PODCAST: Building more dementia-friendly communities

Patrick DunnWednesday, July 26, 2023
Many people living with dementia don't feel valued or respected in their communities. But some activists in Michigan are working to change that by creating dementia-friendly communities, where the general public better understands dementia and people living with dementia have more opportunities to engage in public life.
Feature Story Charles “Charlie” Elwood and Chris Martin using version 2.0 of Martin’s voice for the first time at Carpe Latte Coffee Shop. Equity

AI app gives voice to those who’ve lost theirs

Paul R. KopenkoskeyFriday, July 21, 2023
Throat cancer required the removal of Chris Martin’s larynx in 2020, resulting in his loss of speech. An AI app has made it possible for him to talk again — in his own voice. Now, this technology is being developed for others to use.
Feature Story Alexx Smith, recipient of the 2022 Bob Davis Independent Living Award, stands with Disability Network Southwest Michigan staff member Mary Fortney. Equity

DNSWM highlights ‘remarkable progress’ with ADA Celebration

Kelsey SandersFriday, July 21, 2023
The Disability Network Southwest Michigan will mark this year’s Americans with Disabilities Act anniversary with a celebration on July 28  at the Kalamazoo Farmers Market.
Longform SPLAT Arts and Culture

SPLAT: Lifelong friendship lands world's largest fly swatter collection in Kalamazoo

Thursday, July 20, 2023
A foreign exchange experience in the 1970s led to a lifelong friendship that involved world travel and the collection of an unlikely souvenir: flyswatters. SPLAT: The Buzz about Fly Swatters, showing until January 7, 2024, at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, features 1,250 unusual swatters. Learn more here!
Feature Story BC Pride Arts and Culture

Pride to take center stage in Battle Creek

Thursday, July 20, 2023
For the LGBTQA+ community, Pride is a yearlong affair. Many communities celebrate Pride in June, but a few, like Battle Creek, celebrate in July. The popular BC Pride Festival takes place this Saturday, July 22, at Leila Arboretum. On the Ground Battle Creek will be there!
Feature Story Gun Safety Safe Communities

Bronson Children’s Hospital wants to ensure firearms are stored properly, offers free gun locks

Al JonesThursday, July 20, 2023
The gun is hidden in a shoe box in the closet … and your kids probably know it. Since 2020, guns have been the leading cause of death for children 18 and younger, surpassing even car accidents. Bronson Children's Hospital intends to make sure firearms are stored properly in the home by offering free gun locks.
Feature Story NHBP Gathering Community Development

Gathering of Potawatomi Nations in Athens to connect, educate, and inspire

Jane ParikhThursday, July 20, 2023
The Gathering of Potawatomi Nations will be hosted by the Nottawesepi Huron Band of the Potawatomi on the Pine Creek Indian Reservation in Athens. More than 1,500 tribal members are expected to attend the weeklong event which will feature language, crafting, and cultural workshops, as well as a mid-week leadership conference.
Longform AP Minority Coures Kids and Education

Voices of Youth: Why still so few minority students in AP classes?

Regina KibeziThursday, July 20, 2023
Despite a push to increase minority enrollment in AP courses in Kalamazoo Public Schools, numbers remain low. Among the reasons are early tracking, misunderstanding options, fear of overload, and missing preparatory courses. Voices of Youth's Regina Kibezi, a junior at Loy Norrix High School, takes a deep dive to seek solutions.
Feature Story Jehovah's Witness Convention Building Communities

Kellogg Arena to host first-ever Southwest Michigan Jehovah’s Witness convention

Jane ParikhThursday, July 20, 2023
Jehovah's Witnesses are holding their first Southwest Michigan convention in Battle Creek, one of 700 conventions to be held in 144 cities. The theme for this year's convention, to be held at Kellogg Arena, is "Exercise Patience." 
Longform Early Education Matters, Second Wave - MichiganKids and Education

Pre-K for All will improve long-term health, education, and social outcomes for children

Estelle SlootmakerWednesday, July 19, 2023
Pre-K for All is really about ensuring that all Michigan children enjoy academic success.  
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Battle Creek

Village Network leads work to create a Black Wall Street in Battle Creek 

Plans for launching a Black Wall Street movement in Battle Creek will include a Black-owned business directory and two new websites with a mission to create "collective independence." For more stories, please visit here.
 

Kalamazoo

Joyful Streets, Real-world Struggles: "Happy Cities" author on the journey to transform Kalamazoo 

"What I've noticed in Kalamazoo is, that the city has been taking action to make some changes that in the short term some people might find uncomfortable, but in the long term are going to set the city on course for more vitality, more health, more equity, and I would say more happiness for the people who choose to live here."  Read the full story here. Read more stories here.
 

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