Fran Dwight
Fran Dwight
Fran Dwight

Empowering voices: Black disability history workshop returns Read Article

Fran Dwight

Reclamation & Testimony: Kalamazoo nonprofit premiers stories of the unhoused Read Article

Casey Grooten

Preserving Indigenous language focus of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Read Article

Building businesses and community at Jerico in Kalamazoo's Edison neighborhood Read Article

Fran Dwight

PHOTOS: Rootead's annual Youth Drum and Dance Ensemble wows once again Read Article

Fran Dwight

Small blueberry farm survives by going organic Read Article

Battle Creek breakfast companies unite to raise funds for United Way — one cereal box at a time Read Article

Features

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Longform The students currently taking U-M School of Public Health course, Chatgpt/AI and Public Health. Second Wave - MichiganHealthy Communities

Public health and AI: Great potential and a need for ethical policies

Estelle SlootmakerTuesday, November 19, 2024
When applying AI to public health, great potentials exist for swifter, nimbler care and pin-pointed personalization. Its use also could exacerbate biases and the misuse of private information.  
Partner Content Elisabeth Berry and James D'Arcy Second Wave - MichiganCommunity Development

Legacy Society will sustain Autism Alliance of Michigan’s work for decades to come

Estelle SlootmakerTuesday, November 19, 2024
AAoM is establishing its Legacy Society to recognize donors today for gifts that will provide dollars in perpetuity.
Feature Story Battle Creek Habitat for Humanity Community Development

After 15 years of rehabbing houses, Battle Creek Habitat for Humanity launches new builds

Jane ParikhThursday, November 14, 2024
“I feel good about what we’re doing. It’s pretty exciting. For our families, it’s their house, their project, and their own stability that they’re building. We’re just helping them along the way.”
Longform Housing Solutions Soap and Hope laundry day Building Communities

Soap and Hope: Advocates for the unhoused find a way to help with laundry day

Mark WedelThursday, November 14, 2024
Kalamazoo Together for the Unhoused raised enough money for around 91 people to get 2,600 pounds of laundry done. It's part of their mission to bring dignity to those who find themselves without permanent lodgings. 
Feature Story BC Pride Thanksgiving Equity

Battle Creek Pride hosts Annual Holiday Dinner in November

Jane ParikhThursday, November 14, 2024
“The dinner is needed more this year than ever given the results of the recent presidential election. Our LGBTQIA+ community is struggling and we need to gather together to show them that they do have support.”
Longform SWMI Journalism Collab Covid Cchort Healthy Communities

La 'Cohorte COVID': Cómo el 'salto pandémico' está afectando a los jóvenes adultos

Por Julie J. Riddle | Encore MagazineThursday, November 14, 2024
Tres años después del apogeo de la pandemia, a pesar de que la vida normal se ha reanudado por completo, algunos adultos jóvenes sienten que su edad mental y su etapa actual de la vida no coinciden con su edad cronológica. Así es como están ayudando los programas de preparación universitaria, la capacitación laboral y los servicios integrales individualizados.
Longform SWMi Journalism Collab COVID Cohort Healthy Communities

The COVID Cohort: How the 'pandemic skip' is affecting young adults

Julie Riddle for Encore MagazineThursday, November 14, 2024
Three years after the height of the pandemic, despite normal life having fully resumed, some young adults feel their mental age and their current stage of life don’t match up to their chronological age. Here is how college-run preparation programs, job training, and individualized wrap-around services are helping. 
Feature Story Alma Powell Library Kids and Education

Planning continues for short- and long-term locations for Kalamazoo's Northside library

Al JonesThursday, November 7, 2024
The closure of the Alma Powell Branch of the Kalamazoo Public Library stunned Northside residents. Plans are underway for short and long-term locations that will feature facilities that meet residents' needs.
Feature Story State Rep. Carrie Rheingans Equity

NHPB among Michigan’s 12 Tribes represented in the rooms where laws are being made

Jane ParikhThursday, November 7, 2024
Thanks to the passage of Bill 5600, Michigan's Native Tribes will have a voice in legislation that impacts them.
Feature Story Housing Solutions Tiny Houses update Building Communities

Three tiny houses on Kalamazoo's Northside are a huge step in efforts to build affordable housing

Al JonesThursday, November 7, 2024
HOPE Thru Navigation broke ground on the project on April 2, 2024, using a small plot of land it purchased from the City of Kalamazoo at the southeast corner of North Street and Westnedge Avenue. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Tiny Houses of HOPE Development is expected this month.
Feature Story Estefany Paniagua-Pardo Kids and Education

Battle Creek Bearcats attending Grand Valley State University have internship opportunities

Jane ParikhThursday, November 7, 2024
GVSU's Pipeline Program is now offering internships to Battle Creek Bearcats in addition to helping students with academic preparedness, overall wellness, and connecting with their on-campus communities.
Longform SLD Reads Kids and Education

PHOTOS: SLD Read honors 50 years of literacy success at A-Listers event

Casey GrootenThursday, November 7, 2024
SLD Read, a nonprofit literacy education organization, celebrated 50 years at its A-Listers Literacy Event this October. The event also honored students and tutors at the celebration which took place at Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan facility.
Longform K-Connect's data dashboard for Kent County. Second Wave - MichiganHealthy Communities

Local health statistics are a click away as community health dashboards proliferate in Michigan

Estelle SlootmakerThursday, October 31, 2024
Community health dashboards are readily available online resources that compile various health data for different regions.
Feature Story Gerald R. Ford International Airport’s new sensory room offers a calming space for neurodivergent travelers, reducing anxiety and improving accessibility. Equity

Ford airport unveils sensory room for neurodivergent travelers

Tommy AllenThursday, October 31, 2024
Gerald R. Ford International Airport’s new sensory room offers a calming space for neurodivergent travelers, reducing anxiety and improving accessibility.
Feature Story Zaria McCroy speaks. Equity

Disability Network honors Southwest Michigan advocates of independence, accessibility

Shandra MartinezThursday, October 31, 2024
Two Southwest Michigan residents and an organization were honored by the Disability Network Southwest Michigan for their work to advance independence and accessibility.”
Feature Story Carey Whitfield Equity

Battle Creek’s NAACP is “ALL IN” for the annual Freedom Fund dinner

Jane ParikhThursday, October 24, 2024
“This year, we are laser-focused on democracy and on individuals and those associated with the event this year who are motivated to get out, let their voices be heard, and vote."
Feature Story Ukrainian Homemade Food Entrepreneurship

Do it — Try the honey cake from Kalamazoo's Ukrainian Homemade Foods

Casey GrootenThursday, October 24, 2024
"We Ukrainians all love to eat delicious food, and accordingly, cook it," says Iryna Zykova who with partner Oleksii Severyn launched Ukrainian Homemade Foods which sells food that reflects "old family recipes" that feature a "mix of different cultures."
Longform Solfed Farms Sustainability

An adventurous, low-frequency life: Creating straw bale home and farm from scratch at Solfed Farms

Mark WedelThursday, October 24, 2024
Not everyone can live off the grid in a home made of straw. Larissa Touloupas and her husband Ondrej Pekarovic are seeking to do just that. She says, "I think you can do it with minimum inputs if you're creative and if you're willing to be uncomfortable."
Feature Story Unhoused Community Development

Does Kalamazoo have more than its share of unhoused people?

Al JonesThursday, October 24, 2024
Does the increasing number of unhoused people in Kalamazoo reflect the county's population? Or are people coming from elsewhere? And are there enough services available to provide for the growing needs?
Feature Story Marisa Bianan Arts and Culture

Marisa Bianan: Carrying on the legacy of dance at Wellspring Dance Company

Zinta AistarsThursday, October 24, 2024
After 43 years of founding and running Wellspring Dance Company, Cori Terry is passing the mantle to new Artistic Director Marisa Bianan. Terry says she feels like "she hit the jackpot" in Bianan with someone who "has it all."
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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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