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This Thursday, July 16, Watershed Voice sent out candidate questionnaires to candidates in the following August primary elections: State Senate District 17, State House District 36, and Three Rivers City Commission 2nd District.  Candidates in those elections will have exactly one week, until Thursday, July 23 to complete the questionnaires. Once completed, Watershed Voice will publish the responses in the order they are received the week before the August 4 election.

Based in Sturgis, the accelerated three-week program combines classroom instruction with behind-the-wheel training, giving students the skills needed to earn a CDL-A license and begin careers in commercial trucking. The program is offered through a partnership between Glen Oaks Community College and Regen Trucking School.

Keep Your Voice Down hosts Alek Haak-Frost and Doug Sears Jr. celebrate their 100th episode with a casual and authentic conversation with poet, author, spoken word artist and educator Aubrey Barnes aka Mister Aubs. Aubrey recommends some of his favorite anime, Doug explains how he’s changed politically and fundamentally since his college days, and Alek and Aubrey discuss the challenges of nonprofit work. The trio also touch on men’s mental health, burnout, refusing to farm out creative work to A.I., and how the Château d’Orquevaux Artists & Writers Residency impacted Aubrey.

According to reporting by NBC news, the EPA has proposed eliminating a federal requirement that states provide a 30-day public comment period before issuing certain air permits for facilities the agency classifies as “minor sources” of pollution. Instead of it being federal law, states would individually decide whether public comment is offered.  The proposal comes as the Trump administration has pushed to accelerate artificial intelligence infrastructure across the country.

“You are not investors, you are invaders,” resident Garrett Maverick began, addressing Hyperscale. He then turned to the city council, “Your scolding, your distance, and your lack of transparency on this issue is embarrassing and disqualifying.”  The final public comment of the night left a clear message from residents as Peter Gibbons shared his thoughts on the Hyperscale buyout offers.  “If somebody’s got their boot on your head, when they lift their boot off your head, they’re not a hero,” he said.

For communities across Southwest Michigan, the bill could eventually affect how local housing projects move forward. In areas like Kalamazoo County, where housing development has increasingly become part of conversations around population growth and affordability, faster development approvals and expanded federal funding could create more opportunities for new construction. In smaller communities throughout St. Joseph and Cass counties, where older housing stock and limited inventory often create challenges for both renters and buyers, easier access to smaller mortgages and expanded manufactured housing options could provide additional paths to homeownership. Housing experts caution, however, that the bill is not expected to produce immediate results.