January 14, 2019
Street Talk: Police manhunt goes nationwide
The city of Grand Rapids is now on the lookout for a new top cop. The city commission recently voted to approve a contract with Public Sector Search & Consulting Inc. to lead a national search for Grand Rapids’ next police chief. PSSC will work closely with the city’s Human Resources Department and City Manager […]
Public Record
BANKRUPTCY 18-04959 – LYNN, Micheala T. et al., 12636 11 Mile, Greenville, Michael M. Malinowski (Ch. 7) 18-04961 – HOLZWARTH, Jennifer B., 5750 Rhine Court, Wyoming, Jeremy Shephard (Ch. 13) 18-04962 – ROMERO-ZANELLA, Carlos F., 2888 Central Park Way NE, Eliot A. Sasson (Ch. 7) 18-04970 – ROBACH, Jesten M., & Mary J., 75 Viking, […]
A strong economy isn’t necessarily strong for all households
Despite warning signs at the end of the year, 2018 was a very good year for Michigan’s and the nation’s economy. But the strong economy — characterized by low unemployment and strong growth — was accompanied by 40 percent of Michigan households not able to pay for basic necessities. A majority of those households have […]
Change Ups: Retired bank VP publishes fifth novel
Michael Lindley, retired senior vice president of marketing, communications and community relations for Huntington Bank, published his fifth novel titled, “A Following Sea” (Sage River Press). “Sea” is book No. 2 in the Hanna Walsh and Alex Frank Low Country Thriller Series. His newest thriller revisits the stories of free legal clinic lawyer Hanna Walsh […]
Tax season arrives with some changes
Tax season is fast approaching, and that means another year for businesses to learn about tax changes, especially now when some of the new provisions in the federal tax overhaul that was signed into law in 2017 will take effect. One of the biggest changes that will apply to small businesses is the flat rate […]
Declining confidence prompts stock dip
West Michigan’s public stocks saw an average decline of 8.4 percent last year amid what Wall Street is calling the worst dip since the Great Recession. Local analyst Gregg Dimkoff, professor of finance at Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business, calculated the West Michigan stock index to be an 8.4 percent loss using […]
Two-year legal battle ends for shuttered IT company
After a two-year legal battle, a Lansing circuit court judge cleared the name of Ryan Leestma and his IT consulting business, Information Systems Intelligence LLC, finding Muskegon County liable for breaching its contractual obligations. Judge Joyce Draganchuk granted a motion for summary disposition to Leestma’s company on Dec. 19, 2018. She ordered Muskegon County to […]
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New farm bill brings added protection
After being engulfed in a trade war between the U.S., Mexico, Canada and China, farmers now have some positives to look forward to this year. The 2018 Farm Bill, or Agriculture Improvement Act, was signed into law last month, and it brings with it adjustments and new policies. John Kran, national legislative counsel for the […]
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Inside Track: New city, same challenges
Mark Washington was appointed Grand Rapids city manager just seven months ago in July, but for him, it feels like forever ago. The new city manager has been hard at work facing new challenges that come with being in a different city but also leveraging his experience to approach familiar issues. Washington has been working […]
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Holland Hospital sees record-setting joint surgeries
Dr. Derick Johnson personally performed 450 joint replacement surgeries last year for Holland Hospital. That’s nearly half of the hospital’s record 930 replacements in 2018, a number that has steadily increased from 278 in 2006. The rest of the procedures are completed by a couple of other surgeons in one other practice. The hospital expects […]
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American Storage plans to ‘make warehousing easy’
American Storage and Logistics is under new ownership and spent almost all of 2018 with the goal to “make warehousing easy.” The company’s new owner and president, James Wiese, is an entrepreneur with the long-term goal of finding a platform on which to build. When American Storage went up for sale, he moved to Grand […]
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New law amends environmental cleanup procedures
A bill modifying the process for obtaining a “no further action” determination from the state regarding environmental cleanup and establishing toxicity values for hazardous substances became law just before the new year. Former Gov. Rick Snyder signed Senate Bill 1244 on Dec. 28, and the law went into effect Dec. 31. The bill amends Part […]
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Program aims to showcase health care jobs
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) Amid an impending shortage of health care workers, a foundation is taking steps to introduce more West Michigan high school students to medical fields. Osteopathic Foundation of West Michigan is in its third year of a revamped program that connects students in Muskegon, Oceana, Newaygo and northern Ottawa counties […]
