February 25, 2019
Public Record
BANKRUPTCY 19-00170 – ABRAHAM, Tevontae M., 862 Buckingham SW, Wyoming, Greg J. Ekdahl (Ch. 13) 19-00175 – SCHOENBORN, Patricia L., 1130 Highpoint NW, Greg J. Ekdahl (Ch. 13) 19-00186 – PENA, Michael A., 1123 Seneca SW, Wyoming, Ryan F. Beach (Ch. 7) 19-00193 – CROWE, Patrick M., 4233 Bristlehill NE, Rockford, Greg J. Ekdahl (Ch. […]
It takes a community to provide quality dental care for Michigan’s children
February is National Children's Dental Health Month, which serves as a time each year for dentists and health care providers to highlight the importance of good oral health for children, their parents and caregivers, educators, communities and beyond. Last year, more than 1 in 3 Head Start children in Michigan (age 3-5) had a history […]
Transferring the family cottage may be tougher in 2019
Thanks to a recent decision by the Michigan Court of Appeals, transferring your family cottage into a limited liability company could increase your property taxes significantly. The decision came in the case of Scott v. South Haven, which was decided by the Michigan Court of Appeals in April 2018. And just last month, the Michigan […]
Street Talk: The home team
A group of local nonprofits and businesses has teamed up to help families in the community who are experiencing homelessness. In December, the Business Journal reported funds for emergency shelters for Kent County’s homeless were drying up. At the time, Holland Home’s Fulton Manor, 1450 E. Fulton St., was pressed into service. Holland Home had […]
Calvin College seeks to expand accounting master’s curriculum
Two years in, Calvin College’s new master of accounting program seems to be showing success. In its first year, the program graduated 13 students, who all have been hired for a job in the finance field. The program’s second class has 12 students. The college’s MAcc program started in 2017 to help students earn a […]
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Change Ups: River City Improv marks 25th year
River City Improv, Michigan’s longest running comedy team, recently reached its 25th anniversary milestone. Founders and Calvin College graduates, Rick Treur and Jeanne Leep, held their first public performance in 1994, and since then, the team has consistently offered public performances in Grand Rapids and has traveled across North America performing for schools, corporations, churches […]
Aquinas, WMU partner on master’s program
Students in two bachelor’s programs at Aquinas College now can earn subsequent master’s degrees from Western Michigan University in one year. An agreement signed Feb. 20 allows Aquinas engineering and industrial chemistry four-year degree graduates to transfer some credits to WMU’s respective Master of Science degree programs, shortening them by a year, according to Heather […]
Businesses decry lack of change at MDEQ
Area business owners are bemoaning the Michigan Senate’s decision to maintain private oversight of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The Michigan Senate on Feb 14 voted 22-16 against an environmental executive order signed the week prior by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The order was intended to better position the government to protect the health and […]
Paid medical leave on horizon for qualified workers
Some Michigan employers soon will have to adhere to a new medical leave law. Starting March 29, Michigan employers with 50 or more employees will be required to provide paid medical leave to some of their employees under the Michigan Paid Medical Leave Act. Maureen Rouse-Ayoub, labor and employment attorney at Varnum Law, said qualified […]
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Inside Track: Trupiano aims to ‘make work a better place’
Yvonne Trupiano became hooked on human resources when she took a college class focusing on the history of the labor force. Trupiano was born and raised in metro Detroit and enrolled at Oakland University in the mid-1990s. “Probably like many kids when you first go off to college, it was ‘What should I be?’ I […]
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Financial advisers urge saving for retirement early
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) Planning for retirement might seem trivial to younger people, especially when it is decades away. Nevertheless, it’s a highly recommended strategy by financial advisers. According to Jim Klunder, senior financial consultant at Centennial Securities Company, younger individuals have a tremendous advantage if they get started early. “The wonderful thing […]
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Farmers work overtime during recent polar vortex
Before winter arrives, farmers who work year-round have to take a multitude of precautions. According to Jolene Griffin, director of industry relations for United Dairy Industry of Michigan, dairy farmers prepare for the winter by putting up curtains on barns to protect the cows from the harsh winter weather and also prepare a lot of […]
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Home organizers ride the Kondo wave
Local home organization gurus are feeling an extra spark of joy these days, thanks to a Japanese consultant named Marie Kondo. Kondo is the author of the book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing,” and its sequel, “Spark Joy” (Ten Speed Press, 2014, 2016 U.S.). Netflix released her […]
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15-acre development underway in Byron Center
A private developer is constructing a multibuilding, mixed-use development south of town that will include a hotel and senior living facility. The new JBB Place development is underway on more than 15 acres in Byron Center, on the corner of Byron Center Avenue and 64th Street, at 6420-6514 Byron Center Ave. SW. Buildings underway include […]
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Middleville activating downtown, river
Grand Rapids’ downtown isn’t the only one sitting on a river and undergoing a transformation. With a population of about 3,400 within 2.4 square miles, the Barry County village of Middleville is working on updates to its own one-block downtown, bordering the Thornapple River. To visit downtown Middleville, head south on M-37 from M-6 for […]
