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Kalamazoo commissioners seek broader oversight of surveillance technology
During the Kalamazoo City Commission meeting on Tuesday, September 8, commissioners decided to delay the formal adoption of a policy that would require contracts involving automated license plate reader technology to come before the City Commission, regardless of cost.
Vice Mayor Drew Duncan proposed expanding the amendment, asking that the policy incorporate all law enforcement surveillance technology, not just license plate readers.
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Watershed Voice is an independent, nonprofit civic news magazine based in Three Rivers, Michigan. We seek to highlight solutions to your pressing concerns in an effort to make our community a better place.
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Letter to the editor: The loss of Beacon’s gym will be felt generationally
Reverend Nicole Smith of Three Rivers writes, “A healthy human being is healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally. Health Trac sought to be a place where everyone from families with small children to octogenarians could gather safely and not just exercise but also socialize, interact on an intergenerational basis, and find not just a healthier body but release from stress, anxiety, fear, and loneliness.”
OutCenter announces move to downtown Dowagiac
OutCenter Southwest Michigan has announced its new office location in downtown Dowagiac, Michigan. For nearly 15 years, the OutCenter has made its home in the Arts District in Benton Harbor, providing a welcoming and visible presence for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies.
Local meeting primer: Sturgis City Commission
The Sturgis City Commission will meet Wednesday, September 9, at 6 p.m. Commissioners will work through a light agenda with three new business items. They will consider three tree maintenance and forestry contracts, a $60,000 marketing contract for the Sturges-Young Center for the Arts, and an Industrial Facilities Exemption Certificate for Summit Polymers’ facility expansion.
Kalamazoo to consider data center ‘task force’ alongside moratorium
Planning commissioners unanimously recommended the data center moratorium zoning amendment, along with the task force recommendation, to the City Commission. The task force idea came up during public comment when resident Katie Bloom, who said she also serves on the city’s Environmental Concerns Committee, expressed support for the moratorium and called for a task force representing a wide range of stakeholders. Commissioners agreed with Bloom and added the amendment to their recommendation.
Celebrate and reflect this Labor Day
The first Monday in September marks Labor Day, an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. Labor unions have long fought for changes in wages, working hours, and workplace conditions in the United States, winning reforms that reshaped American workplaces.
But shorter working hours have not meant that workers and corporate leaders have shared equally in economic gains.
Q&A: Jim Berry, Superintendent of St. Joseph County Intermediate School District
James “Jim” Berry, first-year superintendent at St. Joseph County Intermediate School District (ISD), shared his perspective on his goals for his new role and the state of education amid the AI boom. We spoke with Berry about his first few weeks in his new role, his visions for the future of ISD amid an ever-changing job market, and how he plans to give students the tools they need to succeed.
