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The Kalamazoo City Commission approved a $1.04 million agreement with the Michigan Department of Transportation Monday to move forward with a Portage Street redesign. The project will reduce the road from four lanes to three, and add bike lanes between Cork Street and Stockbridge Avenue. The project, approved on a 6-1 vote with Vice Mayor Drew Duncan dissenting, is funded with $750,000 in federal grant money and $289,402 from the city’s Major Streets Capital Budget. City officials say the redesign is intended to improve safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians along one of Kalamazoo’s busiest corridors.

The resignation comes less than a week after a contentious May 7 Cass County Board of Commissioners meeting, where prosecutors warned commissioners that more attorneys could leave if the county did not provide additional support to retain staff.  Watershed Voice has previously reported on the growing dispute between the prosecutor’s office and county commissioners over attorney retention, compensation, and the county’s recently implemented classification and compensation study.

Sturgis city commissioners will meet Wednesday for their first regular meeting since a contentious April 22 session in which Vice Mayor Jeff Mullins publicly asked Mayor Frank Perez to resign, two efforts to formally discipline Perez failed on tied votes, City Manager Andrew Kuk announced his resignation, and Commissioner Linda Harrington announced she was stepping down from the commission. 

The awards recognize students nominated by faculty, student organizations, and college leaders for their commitment to learning, service to others, and contributions to the Glen Oaks campus community. Honorees represented a wide range of academic pathways, including nursing, allied health, agriculture, computer science and technology, welding, business, communications, art, chemistry, English, criminal justice, and more.

The dispute began during board appointments listed near the end of the meeting agenda. Commissioner Torrey Brown questioned why Anthony Mayer — whose previous term on the housing board had expired — was not included among the recommended appointments. Brown later moved to appoint Mayer to a new term, arguing the board benefited from members with experience and institutional knowledge. Mayor Angel Johnston said the city had moved away from automatically reappointing board members in an effort to bring in new members and perspectives. Early in discussion of the motion, City Manager Joe Bippus said Mayer had ongoing legal disputes and multiple civil infractions involving Lockport Township as another reason why his reappointment got “pulled,” though he also stated the issues did not legally disqualify Mayer from serving on the board.

Watershed Voice columnist Aundrea Sayrie is introducing a new series exploring how loss lives in everyday lives, and its impact on mental health. This month she will examine the “mother wound,” and how a month she once looked forward to feels different, forcing her to “confront the distance” between who she is and who she wants to be.