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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Feature Story Good Batch Popcorn Entrepreneurship

Truffle popcorn inspired Kalamazoo entrepreneur to create her own Good Batch

Al JonesThursday, July 6, 2023
How did the truffle respond to the popcorn's proposal? Oil marry you! Entrepreneur Kari Stolpestead officiated the marriage of popcorn and truffle oil at Can-Do Kalamazoo — and it was love at first bite.
Feature Story Narcan Healthy Communities

BC Roundup: Narcan distribution, affirmative action, KCC Reconnect

Jane ParikhThursday, July 6, 2023
In the world of news, our publication is part of a slow news movement. We’re your Second Wave, offering long-form, in-depth articles that are rare in today’s local news. Occasionally, we'll round up a few items that pass our desk as a 'first wave' that might not make it into a longer story. Jane Parikh shares a few Battle Creek first-wave stories here.
Feature Story Chicken House Entrepreneurship

Ice Cream Summer: Taking a lick at Chicken House on Gull Lake

Sam KappThursday, July 6, 2023
A Gull Lake staple, Chicken House delights with superb food and stunning views while simultaneously enriching the community. Enjoy the first scoop on Kalamazoo County ice cream shops in our new series, Ice Cream Summer.
Feature Story Kalamazoo Friends of Recreation Kids and Education

Kalamazoo Friends of Recreation helps fund youth for summer fun

Mark WedelThursday, July 6, 2023
School's out for the summer and some youth may be feeling restless. Why not enroll in a Kalamazoo Park Recreation program, Kik Pool, WMU eSports, or Camp Kzoo? For free! Thanks to the Kalamazoo Friends of Recreation.
Feature Story Since being diagnosed with dementia, Monica Downer (center, being interviewed) has become an activist for awareness of her disease. Second Wave - MichiganHealthy Communities

PODCAST: Dementia disparities in communities of color

Patrick DunnWednesday, July 5, 2023
Dementia is challenging for everyone, but it takes a particularly heavy toll in communities of color. Here's how people living with dementia, researchers, and activists are working to change that in Michigan.
Longform MRC artWorks Community Development

Kalamazoo's MRC Industries cultivates ability in people with disabilities

Mark WedelThursday, June 29, 2023
Downtown art patrons are familiar with MRC artWorks and its colorful storefront. For 54 years, MRC Industries has been cultivating the artist in people with disabilities while preparing them through job and living skills training to lead full, independent lives. With new CEO Dan Pontius, positive changes are on the horizon.
Longform Karma House Wellness Healthy Communities

Good Karma in Battle Creek

Jane ParikhThursday, June 29, 2023
Did you know there is a Zen Buddhist monastery and affiliated wellness center in Battle Creek? Karma House Wellness Center and the Buddhist Temple Monastery are quietly doing their part to support the community by offering trauma-informed yoga, mindfulness classes, and sliding-scale therapy through Senshu, LLC.
Feature Story Kalamazoo Black Arts Festival Arts and Culture

Kalamazoo Black Arts Festival features local talent and R&B legend

Al JonesThursday, June 29, 2023
The 37th Annual Kalamazoo Black Arts Festival on Saturday, July 8, promises to be the best yet with dozens of local performers and artists, delicious food, informational vendors, and a very special well-known guest who will cap the festivities. Not to be missed!
Feature Story Trail Tales Healthy Communities

Trail Tales: Five underrated Southwest Michigan nature trails make the travel worthwhile

Sam KappThursday, June 29, 2023
Embark on an awe-inspiring journey to unveil the lesser-known properties under Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy’s stewardship, as the remarkable biodiversity and natural beauty of these places are revealed close to your own backyard.
Longform Students run a farm stand as part of Partridge Creek Farm's farm to school program in Ishpeming. Second Wave - MichiganHealthy Communities

Michigan programs empower kids to be community health leaders

Estelle SlootmakerThursday, June 29, 2023
When kids take the reins, health and wellness programs take off in new and wonderful directions that the adults in charge would never have anticipated. 
Feature Story Cyndy Hund, pictured here with her husband Mike, quit her job due to her dementia symptoms – but it still took her another four years to get a diagnosis. Second Wave - MichiganHealthy Communities

PODCAST: No more "diagnose and adios": Rethinking dementia diagnosis

Patrick DunnWednesday, June 28, 2023
Getting a dementia diagnosis can be a challenging, years-long process. Here's how Michiganders living with dementia and those who care for them are working to change that.
Longform ALICE 2023 Equity

ALICE households increase in Calhoun County

Jane ParikhThursday, June 22, 2023
Over 15,000 Calhoun County residents are living above the poverty line but below the "survival income" line, an area known as the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) threshold. "It's real people and so many people," says Alyssa Stewart of UWSCM. "Tens of thousands. . .are carrying an invisible weight and saying, 'I'm on the razor's edge.'"
Feature Story Turn2 Foundation Kids and Education

Kalamazoo Central athletic fields get major renovation care of Derek Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation

Al JonesThursday, June 22, 2023
A long-anticipated $5.2 million renovation of Kalamazoo Central High School's baseball and athletic fields is taking place this summer, which means next year's teams will get to debut the fields. All thanks to a generous donation from KC famous alumnus and Hall of Famer Derek Jeter and his Turn2 Foundation. Play ball!
Feature Story HEARTS Safe Communities

Hands Extended Among Randomly Taken Souls from gun violence in Battle Creek

Jane ParikhThursday, June 22, 2023
In her grief, one Battle Creek woman seeks to support others whose loved ones have also been victims of gun violence. A life-taking bullet creates a hole that makes emotional closure difficult. HEARTS is there to help share and ease the pain.
Longform Summer in the City Arts and Culture

Photo Essay: Kalamazoo springs into celebration before summer even starts

Fran DwightThursday, June 22, 2023
Kalamazoo knows how to have fun. Even before summer's official start on Wednesday, the city has been celebrating the sunny season: Kalamazoo Art Fair, Do-Dah Parade, Food Truck Fridays, Pride, Juneteenth, Queer the Block, and music everywhere! Our roving photographer extraordinaire Fran Dwight captured a few images of Kalamazoo charging with exuberance out of Covid hibernation. Enjoy!
Longform A Way Home: Tamika Williams Building Communities

Nine months of searching for housing proves frustrating for a mom with three children

Mark WedelWednesday, June 21, 2023
The search for housing can be its own form of trauma. For Tamika Williams a $1,215 unpaid rent payment has been standing between her and a place to stay for her and her two children as she has visited agency after agency since September of 2022. But there appears to be help on the horizon.
Feature Story SOH Podcast Ep 1 Second Wave - MichiganHealthy Communities

PODCAST: Dementia is not a death sentence

Patrick DunnWednesday, June 21, 2023
As we kick off the second season of the Michigan's State of Health podcast, we'll introduce you to some of the Michiganders who are working to reframe dementia – including people who are living with dementia themselves.
Feature Story A Way Home: County Millage 2023 Building Communities

Kalamazoo County OKs $6.2 million for affordable housing and assistance. Here's where it's going.

Al JonesWednesday, June 21, 2023
Kalamazoo County continues to move ahead with spending for affordable housing and programs to assist both would-be-homeowners and those struggling to stay in their homes. For 2023, the County Board has approved the allocation of $6.2 million in funds from the countywide millage known as 'Housing for All.'
Partner Content AAoM GR staff Second Wave - Michigan

West Michigan welcomes Autism Alliance of Michigan to new office in Grand Rapids area

Estelle SlootmakerTuesday, June 20, 2023
Autism Alliance of Michigan is opening a new office in the Grand Rapids area.
Feature Story Lucia Rios has been honored as the 2023 Media Person of the Year by the WMPRSA for her work as co-editor of the Disability Inclusion series. Equity

Disability Inclusion editor Lucia Rios named Media Person of the Year

Shandra MartinezTuesday, June 20, 2023
Lucia Rios has been honored as the 2023 Media Person of the Year by the WMPRSA for her work as co-editor of the Disability Inclusion series. This multi-year series runs in The Lakeshore WM, Rapid Growth and Second Wave Southwest Michigan.  
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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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