The Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative (SWMJC) will host “Women in Media: Behind the Headlines” on April 16 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Epic Center in downtown Kalamazoo. The free event, which is open to the public, will feature a panel of local women working in journalism and media. Space is limited, and RSVPs are recommended.
The Northside is one of Kalamazoo’s poorest neighborhoods. It’s also 83% Black. But the neighborhood of 4,500 residents has just one banking institution: Advia Credit Union at 706 N. Westnedge Ave. It’s carrying the load to help Northside residents build financial security.
The Portage City Council on March 24 unanimously voted to move forward with an ordinance that would establish a temporary moratorium on data centers and battery energy storage systems (BESS). The action does not immediately enact the moratorium. Instead, it directs city staff to prepare an amendment to the city code for future council consideration. According to the meeting agenda, the proposed change would amend Chapter 42 of the city code to establish a temporary moratorium on the developments. If adopted at a future meeting, the moratorium would pause new development related to data centers and battery storage systems while the city considers how to regulate them.
Commissioner Samuel Barrera, who also serves on the Parks Board, expressed frustration following the vote. “I just want the members of this board to understand what just happened,” he said. “We have $110K invested into this project — now what are we going to do? We’ve successfully killed this project, so that money is on our hands. I don’t know how we’re going to recover those funds. … I’m really not proud of us right now.”
Watershed Voice would like to congratulate all students who have made the honor roll on their success and we wish you luck in your continued pursuit of excellence — academic or otherwise. Students named to the President’s List earned a 4.0 grade point average. Students named to the Dean’s List earned a GPA between 3.75 and 3.99. Students are listed alphabetically by hometown.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has appointed Andrew Lievense to the Michigan Court of Appeals, First District, a court that hears appeals affecting residents in Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties. Lievense, of Northville, currently serves as an assistant U.S. attorney. He previously worked as a litigation associate at Honigman LLP in Detroit and clerked for U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn.
Kalamazoo City Commissioner Chris Praedel said the process reflected strong community engagement. “It’s refreshing to see these outcomes when it happens this way. It does not always turn out this way, and I am grateful that it has — but it only happens this way when everybody is willing to lean in and try something a little bit different,” Praedel said. The project combines improvements along two corridors — Winchell Avenue and Howard Street — under a single MDOT contract, meaning the elements cannot easily be separated for approval.
The event features mostly filmmakers from Kalamazoo and the surrounding region, with films shot in — and in some cases about — the city itself. One of the featured filmmakers, Jerod Kauffman, created a documentary about the final days of the longtime dive bar Harvey’s on the Mall, which closed after a buyout. Kauffman said he wanted to capture the story of a place that helped define Kalamazoo’s nightlife culture. “The closure was sudden to everyone — the community and staff — so I wanted to immortalize a place that was loved by so many,” Kauffman wrote to Watershed Voice. “I saw a fence and bulldozer outside the building today on the way to work. I think it's going to be torn down, so I am happy I was able to capture a piece of Kalamazoo history and the bar that stood and served the community for 40+ years.”
Designed to introduce people to filmmaking while also challenging experienced creators, Kazoo 48 gives teams 48 hours to complete a short film between one and six minutes long. Each team must incorporate an assigned genre, line of dialogue, character, location, and prop into their film. Once completed, the films are judged by a panel of local talent. Awards include prizes for best use of an assigned item and the festival’s signature award — a gold engraved kazoo — presented to the best films in both the amateur and professional categories.
As Helping Other People Exceed (HOPE) continued to grow, one issue kept appearing: many people had jobs and income but still could not find landlords willing to rent to them because of past criminal records. Many were couch surfing, sleeping in cars, or moving from one temporary situation to another. Eventually Founder and CEO Gwendolyn Hooker said, the solution became clear. “If people aren’t going to rent to the population that I serve,” she said, “then I’m just going to build my own houses.”
A NOTE FROM OUR EDITOR
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