Stories

Feature Story Roots n Roost

From Chickens to Commerce: How Renaissance students hatched a business plan

What began as a hands-on classroom experiment at Renaissance Public School Academy quickly evolved into a thriving student-led venture. Blending agricultural learning with entrepreneurship, students are hatching chickens, harvesting produce, and managing retail sales at the Mt. Pleasant Farmers’ Market. But the most remarkable growth may be what’s happening behind the scenes. With community partners stepping in to support and guide them, these young innovators are proving that with the right environment, big ideas can grow from humble beginnings.

Feature Story Pups enjoy Plymouth Pool

Staying cool and safe this summer

With record heat already hitting Midland, residents are finding ways to stay safe and cool. From health tips to splash pads, the city offers plenty of options.

Scratching the Right Itch

Ron Reimink knew how uncomfortable and annoying swimmer’s itch could be. He spent much of his adult life trying to eradicate it in lakes across northern Michigan. Then one day, he realized he was completely wrong.

Feature Story The owners of the Three Bridges Distillery and Taproom.

Three Bridges distillery expands with craft brews, event space and bigger dreams

Three Bridges Distillery in Midland is expanding with a new event space, growing its craft beer and spirits offerings, and eyeing broader distribution while keeping its community roots.

Feature Story A drone view of the campground, perched 200 feet above Lake Superior.

Camping with a view: Kona Hills Campground opens in Marquette

Three lifelong Marquette friends with a passion for the outdoors and rustic camping have come together to create their campground: Kona Hills Campground. The unique 80-acre site boast views of Lake Superior, the Huron Mountains and Marquette.

Feature Story Laundry Room French 75

Keeping the Prohibition era alive at Port Huron's speakeasy, The Laundry Room

The Wrigley Center’s speakeasy in Port Huron has become a popular destination for locals because of its unique Prohibition-era atmosphere, specialty cocktails, and live music.

Feature Story The chapel of St. Mary's Academy

Vacant for 20 years, historic Monroe building will be repurposed for community goodNonprofit Journal Project Feature

In Monroe, the former St. Mary’s Academy building left an empty space in the city’s downtown when it closed in 2003. Demolition was on the table until a developer with a personal connection to the building stepped up to save it.

Feature Story Jonathan Yarbrough

Back to build bridges: Yarbrough brings homegrown vision to Northside leadership

Northside native Jonathan Yarbrough has been named executive director of the Northside Association for Community Development. Seen as a "connector, bridge-builder, and advocate," he plans to "move the needle" on the neighborhood’s legacy while driving community-focused growth.

Feature Story "Magic Wonder Safari” by Anthony Lee at Zap Zone.

PHOTOS: New adventures in public art with Sterling Heights

Several new artworks have debuted in Sterling Heights since we last took a stroll around the city’s art-strewn municipal campus. Let’s take a look at what’s new in Sterling Heights.

Development News The Jackson House once provided shelter for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his allies throughout the tumultuous Selma-to-Montgomery marches of 1965.

Local history projects win grants in Dearborn, Mount Clemens, Rochester, and more

“The volume of applications demonstrates the necessity of this funding,” says Larry J. Wagenaar, executive director and CEO of the Historical Society of Michigan.

Development News The 10th annual Sterling Edge Awards will be hosted inside Lakeside Mall, the now-closed shopping center soon to be razed for a transformational mixed-use development in Sterling Heights.

Nominations open for Sterling Edge Awards as City plans event inside shuttered Lakeside Mall

Nominations for the 10th annual Sterling Edge Awards are currently being accepted online until a Friday, July 18, deadline.

Longform Cam Underdown and Chris Powers are the co-founders of ReciproCity, which developed a new housing resources website called Shelter Oakland.

Real-time shelter bed openings and other housing resources offered on new Shelter Oakland website

A new website offers real-time information on the number of beds available at almost all Oakland County shelters, as well as a massive list of resources available to those experiencing housing insecurity in the county. 

Feature Story A view through the titanium-sapphire crystal that helps to transfer power into ZEUS’s laser pulses.

U-M's ZEUS laser, the strongest in the U.S., is about to get even more powerful

Currently operating at an electrical power output of two petawatts, this summer the ZEUS laser’s output will soar to three petawatts thanks to a new lab-grown titanium-infused sapphire crystal from Salem, Mass. 

Innovation News Manzanitas Spanish Immersion Playschool in Ann Arbor.

U-M works to preserve and disseminate education data as feds pull funding for its collection

As Americans continue to digest cuts to the U.S. Department of Education, researchers at the University of Michigan are striving to maintain and widen access to education data critical to informing public policy. 

Feature Story PA Medicine's inaugural class of 2024.

MSU's PA Medicine program helps fill the gap for medical providers in U.P. and rural Michigan

The first graduates of Michigan State University's PA Medicine program are working across the state -- some in medically underserved communities or in rural areas like the U.P., where there is a health care provider shortage.  

Development News schoolcraftmemorialhospital

Schoolcraft Memorial taps Mach as new CEO

“I am honored to join Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital and lead an organization that is deeply dedicated to its patients and the community,” said Robert Mach, the hospital's new CEO. "I look forward to collaborating with the hospital’s talented staff, stakeholders and community to drive innovation, improve accessibility, and further enhance the exceptional care provided to our patients.”