With unofficial final results in from the Nov. 5 election, Ron Draayer has defeated Bill Benoit for the City of Kentwood’s Ward 2 Commissioner seat currently held by Michael Brown.
Running unopposed and reelected to other Kentwood Commission seats were incumbent Commissioner at Large Maurice H. Groce and incumbent Ward 1 Commissioner Robert D. Coughlin.
Unofficial final results from the Kent County Elections office had Draayer with 1,335 votes, Benoit with 845 and 11 write-in votes for others. Groce totaled 3,246 with 59 write-in votes for the city-wide seat, and Coughlin gained 1,228 with 34 write-in votes for the single-ward seat.
“I want to thank the residents of Ward 2 in Kentwood for voting for me and electing me to the Kentwood City Commission,” commissioner-elect Draayer said to WKTV Wednesday morning. “I pledge to work hard and be available to people to help with their concerns.
“I want to ensure that Kentwood continues to be a city where people can come from all over the world to raise their families in good neighborhoods. I also want to thank my family and friends for supporting me in this campaign and working hard for my election. I appreciate it very much.”
Draayer was a classroom teacher at Davenport University for 40 years and taught classes in the field of technology and cyber security.
Benoit works for the Charter Township of Cascade as a building inspector and plan reviewer, and is currently on the City of Kentwood Planning Commission.
“I would like to congratulate Mr. Draayer and I look forward to continue serving the citizens of Kentwood on the Planning Commission,” Benoit said to WKTV.
Coughlin will also continue to serve the city and Ward 1.
“I would like to thanks the voters in Kentwood for their support in yesterday’s election,” Commissioner Coughlin said to WKTV. “As I begin my 5th term as City Commissioner, let me reiterate that it has been an honor to serve our community for the last 16 years and I am looking forward to another four.
“Kentwood is on the move and we have a lot of great things happening. I am thrilled to be a part of it and will continue to serve my constituents with the utmost integrity and productivity. I love this city, it’s residents, and it’s diversity and will work hard to maintain the great standards we have achieved.”
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus, we talk with Michigan State Sen. Peter MacGregor, who represents the City of Wyoming as part of a widespread Kent County area included in the 28th Senate District.
MacGregor is in his second term in the Senate, and is both the Senate majority floor leader and chairman of the important Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services.
We talk with the senator about health and human services issues, changes coming to the state’s auto insurance laws, and — of course — budget battles between the Republican-controlled legislature and first-year Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Taking about the budget process, in which the legislature develops and presents a budget to the governor for approval — or line-item veto — Sen. MacGregor said “The Governor was not as involved as she thought she should be. Not that we did not want them involved, just that there is a lot of politics involved with a split government.”
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
Before the current school year started in August, Godfrey-Lee Pubic Schools Superintendent Kevin Polston publicly expressed concern that this summer’s partial collapse of a portion of the Lee Middle and High School building could drive parents to transfer their students out of the district.
Such a loss of student head count would add a reduction in state per-student funding to the losses in class space and district financial flexibility.
But, the district reported Wednesday, Oct. 2, that Godfrey-Lee Public Schools counted 1,824 students today during Michigan’s Fall Count Day, according to supplied information. The number is slightly above the 1,820 students the district based the 2019-20 budget on and would result “in a modest amount of additional funds for the district.”
The number represents a similar number from the spring count, and a loss of 21 students from last fall’s count.
Fall counts occur on the first Wednesday in October and represent 90 percent of state funding. Spring counts occur on the second Wednesday in February and represent 1 percent of state funding. According to state school funding records, Godfrey-Lee gained $10,807 per student in 2017-18. But the amount can change year-to-year and per student funding for 2019-20 is not yet finalized.
“The district is grateful for the support of our community during the past four months and the trust they have in the district,” Polston said. “We are honored to serve our community to provide an excellent educational experience for our students based on deep, meaningful relationships and rigorous learning.
“Our student count will allow the district to grow the vision into the future as we partner with a dedicated staff and loyal community partners to design innovative practices that prepare students for success well into the future.”
Seven classrooms and the psychologist’s office were destroyed during a roof collapse at the school building, located at 1335 Lee St. SW, on June 5. No one was injured. It was determined that corrosion of bar joists that supported the roof structure caused it to disengage from the exterior wall.
On June 23, the remaining structure of the affected area collapsed from the weight of the debris. With localized repairs, the remaining portion of the building was ready for opening day as planned on Aug. 19.
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus, we continue a series looking at the depth and breath of poverty throughout Kent County and specifically in the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood.
To introduce us to some of the issues, we talk with Susan Cervantes, the Director of the Kent County Community Action program which, according to its 2018 annual report, served more than 7,000 individuals including more than 3,800 families, and also handled more than 42,000 information and referral calls.
The Community Action program came into existence 55 years ago when President Lyndon Johnson signed legislation to establish a War on Poverty.
The local group, according to its website “works to eliminate the causes and circumstances of poverty by investing in individuals and families with low incomes. Through dedicated staff and community partnerships we provide services, resources, education and advocacy to improve the quality of life for all residents of Kent County.”
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times).
All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
Kent County Land for planned Sustainable Business Park, aerial shot that includes the property adjacent to the landfill, with the landfill in the background. (Supplied/Kent County)
By WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org
Kent County’s plan to create a Sustainable Business Park adjacent to the South Kent Landfill in Byron Center took another step forward early this month when the Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) received a $95,000 site readiness grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)
The grant was announced by Kent County DPW and The Right Place.
The planned 250-acre Sustainable Business Park is aimed at creating a industrial center with the prime goal to convert waste into marketable goods and services.
“Kent County is committed to becoming a regional, state and national leader in reducing landfill waste by attracting companies that can convert that waste into new products, consumer goods and energy,” Dar Baas, director of the Kent County DPW. said in supplied material. “The Sustainable Business Park will have a positive economic and environmental impact for both Allegan and Kent Counties and we are thankful for support from the MEDC to begin the site planning phase of this innovative, first-of-its kind project.”
The grant is part of the MEDC’s new competitive Michigan Build Ready Sites program, the targeted grant program of the Site Readiness Improvement program, according to supplied material.
The MEDC program, according to its website, is intended to allow “Michigan to gain a competitive advantage when it comes to business attraction and expansion projects, it must assist communities or other public entities … with the development/enhancement of industrial sites to make them vetted sites and ready to compete for site selection projects. Vetted sites may be defined as a site that has appropriate planning, zoning, surveys, title work, environmental conditions, soil conditions, infrastructure is in place or preliminary engineering is completed, the property is available for sale and development and site information is ready, and up-to-date.”
The grant was secured as part of the Kent County DPW’s and The Right Place’s 3-year partnership to help support the planning and development of the Sustainable Business Park, as well as identify sources of funding for the project and building community partnerships.
Last year, the Kent County DPW board approved a master plan for the Sustainable Business Park on 250 acres of land currently used for agriculture and previously designated for landfill expansion. The grant, with a 1:1 match from Kent County, will be used to survey and develop topographic profiles for the Sustainable Business Park, as well as develop engineering and environmental reports.
“The Sustainable Business Park is a collaborative economic development project that will attract investment and create jobs while making a positive environmental impact,” Birgit M. Klohs, President and CEO, The Right Place, Inc., said in supplied material. “The site readiness grant from the MEDC will provide critical support in developing shovel-ready land, which will give the Sustainable Business Park a competitive edge in attracting businesses.”
The Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) provides solid waste management services to Kent County. The DPW manages facilities and programs that include the Recycling & Education Center, Waste-to-Energy Facility, North Kent Recycling & Waste Center and South Kent Recycling & Waste Center.
According to the DPW, building a Sustainable Business Park is part of the Kent County DPW’s solution to decreasing the growing amount of solid waste buried in landfills. Kent County DPW processes over 1 billion pounds of waste each year and estimates 75 percent of that waste could be reused, recycled or converted. For more information, visit reimaginetrash.org.
The two candidates for the City of Kentwood’s Ward 2 Commissioner seat currently held by Michael Brown, which will be decided on the Nov. 5 ballot, recently answers questions from a moderator at the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce’s Government Matters Candidate Forum.
The Chamber’s Candidate Forum took place Sept. 11, at the Kentwood Branch of the Kent District Library, with WKTV Community Media cameras recording the event. The event was hosted by Chamber President Bob O’Callaghan and moderated by Kathey Batey.
The two candidates for the Ward 2 seat are Bill Benoit and Ron Draayer. Also on the ballot in November but not at the forum as they are running unopposed for other Kentwood Commission seats are incumbent Commissioner at Large Maurice H. Groce and incumbent Ward 1 Commissioner Robert D. Coughlin.
Draayer, according to the candidate, is a Kentwood resident who was a classroom teacher at Davenport University for 40 years and taught classes in the field of technology and cyber security.
Benoit, according to the candidate, is a Kentwood resident who works for the Charter Township of Cascade as a building inspector and plan reviewer, and is currently on the City of Kentwood Planning Commission.
WKTV Community Media was at the forum and will both broadcast it on WKTV Government Channel 26 as well as making it available on WKTV’s YouTube Channel. The forum will be broadcast today, Friday, Sept. 20, at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 9 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 26, at noon; as well as several but as-yet unscheduled times in October. See the WKTV on-air schedule for dates and times.
WKTV also recorded candidates Benoit, Draayer and Coughlin as part of “We The People” candidate introduction videos series which are produced prior to each election voted on by Wyoming and Kentwood residents. Those videos will be made public the week of Sept. 23.
WKTV Journal In Focus’s podcast on the anti-discrimination public policies featured Kentwood City Commissioner and community advocate Emily Bridson, at right, along with Patti Caudill, manager of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion for the City of Grand Rapids, and Skot Welch of Global Bridgebuilders. The program is hosted by WKTV’s Ken Norris, left. (WKTV)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal’s In Focus series of podcasts, we discuss the anti-discrimination public policies — a timely topic as the City of Grand Rapids City Commission just this last passed a Human Rights Ordnance which will be the basis of the formation of future public policies.
Visiting our studios, each with unique perspectives on the subject, are Kentwood City Commissioner and community advocate Emily Bridson; Patti Caudill, manager of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion for the City of Grand Rapids; and Skot Welch of Global Bridgebuilders which, according to its website, has the “core belief that inclusion is a business discipline.”
For a link to the ‘Anti-discrimination Policies” audio podcast, click here; for a link to the episode’s interview video, click here and scan down the list to the Sept. 5 In Focus podcast. (If you’d like to give us some feedback on our special In Focus podcasts, please contact Ken Norris at ken@wktv.org.)
Regular episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times).
In the wake of recent mass shootings, state and federal efforts to introduce and pass so-called “Red Flag” laws — which would allow persons with access to guns to be investigated as being possible dangers to themselves and others, and to give authorities the ability to seize that person’s guns — was one topic discussed as part of a wide-ranging inter-governmental leaders meeting Monday, Aug. 12, at the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce’s Government Matters Committee’s monthly forum at Wyoming City Hall.
With bipartisan bills being introduced both in Lansing and in Washington, D.C., Peter Dickow, West Michigan Regional Director for U.S. Sen Gary Peters (D-Mi.) echoed other leader at the meeting by saying: “There is room for common sense legislation” on this issue.
The Government Matters meeting brings together representatives from the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood, Kent County commissioners, local Michigan state senators and representatives, as well as often representatives of Michigan’s U.S. senators and U.S. congressman who represent the Wyoming and Kentwood area.
The next meeting will be Sept. 9 at Wyoming City Hall, 1155 28th St. SW, from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
The intergovernmental discussion hosted by the chamber focuses on issues that effect residents and businesses in the two cities.
For more information about the chamber and Government Matters visit southkent.org.
The meetings are on the second Monday of each month, starting at 8 a.m. WKTV Journal will produce a highlight story after the meeting. But WKTV also offers replays of the latest meeting on Wednesdays at 7 p.m., as well as on select Saturdays, on Comcast Cable Government Channel 26. For a highlight schedule of WKTV cable programs visit wktvjournal.org .
Wage theft can occur everywhere, in offices, on construction sites and in farm fields. (WKTV)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, last week announced he is conducting an investigation into illegal wage theft practices that “harm American workers.” And he is asking for worker input on possible wage theft in their lives.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.)
In a statement issued by his office, “wage theft violates basic fair pay laws and denies workers a fair wage for their work. It takes many forms, including failure to pay the applicable minimum wage, failure to compensate employees for overtime, and misclassifying employees as ‘independent contractors’ to avoid paying certain benefits or taxes.”
“If you put in a hard day’s work, you deserve to get paid for it,” Sen. Peters said in the statement. “Yet every day, workers in Michigan and across the country are denied wages or benefits they have earned on the job. This investigation will help expose wage theft and develop ways to hold employers who break the rules accountable for actions that hurt hardworking families.”
As part of the investigation, Sen. Peters’ office would like to hear from workers who have been victims of wage theft, including instances where rightfully earned wages have been withheld or wages or benefits have been denied for work as an employee or independent contractor. Workers who have experienced wage theft can share their information with the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
To share personal experiences which workers think might be wage theft, please visit here.
According to the statement from Sen. Peters’ office, wage theft has serious financial consequences for workers and businesses who are trying to play by the rules. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that American workers are shorted as much as $15 billion in wages each year due to minimum wage law violations. And Michigan reportedly has the fifth highest total of unpaid wages in the country due to minimum wage violations.
According to EPI, from 2013 to 2015, roughly $430 million in wages were improperly withheld from Michigan workers. Misclassifying workers as “independent contractors” also negatively impacts law-abiding taxpayers.
According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, millions of employers nationwide have failed to pay more than $45 billion in employment taxes. These practices deprive the federal government of billions of dollars in unpaid employment taxes that are used to fund Social Security, Medicare and other benefits.
In Michigan alone, a study released in 2008 found that Michigan loses tens of millions of dollars annually from misclassification practices – depriving the state of dollars for projects like highway and infrastructure upgrades, educational programs, or public hospitals.
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus is an update on the June partial building collapse at Lee Middle and High School. District Superintendent Kevin Polston separates the facts from the fictions of the incident and the aftermath. Also, Kent County recently adopted an extensive Strategic Plan that not only sets out its mission and vision but also a set of values that will drive its priorities and goals. With us is both the county’s lead administrator and Wyoming’s own representative on the County Commission.
First In Focus is Godfrey Lee Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Polston, who’s summer took a hard turn in June with the collapse of a portion of the Lee Middle and High School complex of buildings. Recently, he has held a series of meetings to inform parents, the general public and the school district community about the collapse as well as where the district goes from here, both in the short and long term. We invited him into our studios to reach out to our WKTV audience with the information. See the In Focus Video here.
County Administrator Wayman Britt and County Commissioner Harold Voorhees on the set of WKTV Journal In Focus. (WKTV)
Then In Focus is Kent County’s new Strategic Plan, set to cover the years 2019 to 2023 and designed to establish and detail the county government’s, “mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities and goals.” With us is County Administrator Wayman Britt, who after serving as county controller was promoted to the dual role of administrator and controller in early 2018, also joining us is County Commissioner Harold Voorhees, whose District 8 is — as he likes to say “entirely within the City of Wyoming”. See the In Focus video here.
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
The portion of the Lee Middle and High School complex where the collapse and clean-up occurred. (Supplied/Godfrey Lee Public Schools)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
Kevin Polston, Superintendent of Godfrey Lee Public Schools, was really busy this week and it really had little to do with the opening of school in six weeks.
In the wake of the June multi-day collapse of a portion of the Lee Middle and High School, with the damaged area now cleared and the remainder of the multi-building complex independently inspected and judged structurally sound, Polston led a series of meetings to report the current status and possible future plans.
Aerial view of building complex.
After an earlier report to the Godfrey Lee Public Schools Board of Education, Polston has led meetings with staff, city and educational community leaders, community and parents as well as host a press conference. In all the meetings, Polston repeatedly stressed three things:
Building design with affected area in color.
First, the cause of the unforeseeable failure is now clear and rigorous inspections led by Ross Smith, WJE Associates Structural Engineer, of the other buildings in the complex show no similar structural problems.“The building is safe and we are opening as scheduled,” Polston said on Thursday, adding that both the inspector and the superintendent himself “would put my children” in the building.
Second, the district, despite being hampered by local economic factors including the district’s near maximum school millage rate, has plans — three in fact — to rebuild the section as quickly as possible, both due to educational need and insurance reimbursement requirements.
Third and finally, Polston and the entire Godfrey Lee community are grateful that the building failure — the failure of a single wall section actually — occurred after the school year and when the students were absent, and in two incidents over a single weekend when the building was unoccupied. “This would have been a catastrophe if it had been occupied,” he said.
The biggest concern now for the district, Polston said, is that parents will transfer their students — and the funds the district gets for educating their students — to other school districts due to lack of information or misinformation.
“It is extremely important to make sure we have the trust of the community … it is important they get the facts,” Polston said. “We want to make sure they know it is safe to send their kids here.”
District supplies fact sheet on incident and aftermath
Local State Sen. Peter MacGregor (R-28th District) offered his views on the status of Michigan’s current budget problems and West Michigan’s pending mental health services changes as part of a wide-ranging inter-governmental leaders meeting Monday, July 8, at the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce’s Government Matters Committee’s monthly forum at Wyoming City Hall.
Other topics of conversation were Kent County’s budgeting process and the status of recycling in Kentwood and throughout the county.
The state budgeting process “is slower than in previous years and slower than I’d like to see,” Sen. MacGregor said, explaining that currently there are three budgets that are yet to be reconciled: budgets offered the State Senate, the House of Representatives, and by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — whose budget he described as “spending money we don’t have.”
Sen. MacGregor also gave a state-level view of the continuing funding uncertainties — some say “funding crisis” — surrounding the state’s mental health services. Citing continued deficits, the state is moving to dissolve West Michigan’s current mental health funding system.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, on June 28, announced that it will not renew Lakeshore Regional Entity’s state contract to manage Medicaid benefits for mental health services after it expires Oct. 1. Sen. MacGregor said MDHHS will establish another regional publicly managed care plan, another so-called PIHP (pre-paid inpatient health plan). The LRE manages Medicaid funding distribution to mental health authorities in Kent County as well as Allegan, Ottawa, Muskegon, Oceana, Mason and Lake counties.
The Government Matters meeting brings together representatives from the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood, Kent County commissioners, local Michigan state senators and representatives, as well as often representatives of Michigan’s U.S. senators and U.S. congressman who represent the Wyoming and Kentwood area.
The next meeting will be Aug. 12 at Wyoming City Hall, 1155 28th St. SW, from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
The intergovernmental discussion hosted by the chamber focuses on issues that effect residents and businesses in the two cities.
For more information about the chamber and Government Matters visit southkent.org .
The meetings are on the second Monday of each month, starting at 8 a.m. WKTV Journal will produce a highlight story after the meeting. But WKTV also offers replays of the latest meeting on Wednesdays at 7 p.m., as well as on select Saturdays, on Comcast Cable Government Channel 26. For a highlight schedule of WKTV cable programs visit wktvjournal.org .
The Grand River Waterway is a proposed seven-foot deep, 22.5-mile long channel that would involve dredging portions of the Grand River between Fulton Street in Grand Rapids and Bass River State Recreation Area in Eastmanville. The channel would allow large powerboats to travel from Grand Rapids to Grand Haven and would remove 50 acres of shallow-water fish habitat. Removal of these shallow areas would likely have additional impacts that would ripple through the river environment for decades to come.
At first glance, the notion of improved access for boaters looks like a great idea for improving tourism and benefiting the local economy. However, the hidden environmental and economic costs of de-stabilizing a river channel must be carefully considered. Michigan State University Extension and Michigan Sea Grant have published a white paper on the potential physical and biological impacts of this project, and the Grand River Waterway organization has a feasibility study detailing the extent and cost of dredging available on its website.
Channelization vs. harbor dredging
Many west Michigan communities are aware of the economic benefits of harbor dredging, as well as the difficulty in securing federal or state funding to maintain navigable harbors. Harbors are typically located in river mouth areas and associated lakes, where dredging is used to maintain a deep channel connection to Lake Michigan.
The Grand River Waterway project proposes to dredge a free-flowing river environment that is very different from the “freshwater estuaries” found at Great Lakes river mouths. This project would seek to allow boats up to 49 feet long to cruise upstream 40 miles from Lake Michigan by digging out the bottom of the river and removing snags and other obstructions. This type of river modification is known as channelization and is recognized by Michigan Department of Natural Resource’s (MDNR) Wildlife Action Plan and Grand River Assessment as one of the most serious threats to big river ecosystems and the unique species that reside there.
History of Grand River channelization projects
This is not the first time that channelization has been proposed to improve navigation between Grand Rapids and Lake Michigan (see 1978 study). The section of the Grand River between Grand Rapids and Eastmanville was naturally shallow, and the first dredging project was a four-foot deep channel that was approved by the River and Harbor Act of 1881. This initial attempt was never completed, and an 1887 report concluded that highly variable water levels and ongoing problems with deposition of sand and silt made construction of a permanent channel within the riverbanks impossible.
Courtesy Sea Grant Michigan
A more elaborate engineering project was authorized in 1896 and modified in 1903 to provide a six-foot deep channel. In order to prevent the shifting sand of the river bottom from filling in the channel immediately, training walls were constructed of pilings and “mattresses” of woven pile and brush.
These walls were constructed parallel to the river banks within the river channel. Sediment was dug out from what would become the navigation channel, and this sand and silt was deposited between the training wall and shore. This effort artificially deepened and narrowed the river channel through dredging and the construction of 25 miles of training walls within the river channel. Despite the scope of this undertaking, the channel was officially abandoned by the federal government with passage of the River and Harbor Act of 1930.
Most of the training walls remain in the Grand River, buried beneath over a century’s worth of accumulated sediment. In places, the river has broken through the walls and cut a new channel. In other places, new land has formed as the river adapted to the modifications of its bed. The walls still hold back vast quantities of sediment pulled from the middle of the river circa 1910.
Erosion and related impacts to the river
Channelization projects typically lead to increased net erosion. Dredging cuts into the bottom of the river, making it deeper and faster in the dredged portion of the river. The deeper, faster water erodes more sand and other sediment, which is then deposited downstream or on floodplains following high water. The exact location and severity of effects are difficult to predict, but many studies from around the world have documented harmful, and sometimes disastrous, consequences (see white paper for full documentation).
Along the Blackwater River, Missouri, channelization caused excessive bank erosion and damaged bridges. Sediment deposition on shore was so deep that it buried fences.
In the Missouri River, Kansas, channelization led to the loss of side-channels and islands when eroded sediment was deposited in side-channel areas.
In western Tennessee, several rivers experienced so much erosion after channelization of upstream areas that channel blockages formed where sand and silt settled out in downstream areas. These blockages prevent navigation in downstream areas and lead to stagnation of river water.
Dredging typically harms water quality by increasing turbidity and suspended solids. Peak sediment loads increased by a factor of 7 after channelization of the River Main, Northern Ireland.
Channelization can lead to development of an incised river, which can lower the water table and drain adjacent wetlands (see image and videos).
Wakes from large boats lead to further erosion and muddy water. One study from the Waikato River, New Zealand, found that boat wakes were 100 times more powerful than natural river waves and carried up to 23 times as much soil away from the riverbank.
Harm to fish and other aquatic life
In addition to the direct destruction of 50 acres of shallow habitat, dredging to channelize the Grand River would likely reduce populations of gamefish and other sensitive fish species by harming water quality, reducing water clarity, reducing the number of insects and other invertebrates that fish feed upon, and damaging additional spawning and nursery habitat.
Channelization led to a 90% decline in fish food in the River Moy, Ireland.
Channelized sections of the Chariton River, Missouri, have 80% lower total fish biomass relative to natural sections.
A study of 40 Indiana streams found 50% fewer sensitive fish species in channelized vs. natural stream sections.
Destruction and degradation of spawning and nursery habitat led to fewer trout and salmon relative to less valuable fish species on the River Boyne, Ireland.
The average size of largemouth bass was 8 times higher in natural vs. channelized sections of the Luxapalila River in Mississippi and Alabama due to lack of habitat for large bass.
Removal of snags and other woody debris for navigation eliminates fish-holding areas and fish food. Snags were found to hold 20-50 times more invertebrate biomass than sandy areas in the Satilla River, Georgia.
Dozens of sensitive species are associated with the Grand River corridor in Ottawa County, including 18 freshwater mussels and 2 snails. Channelization is among the leading causes of extinction for freshwater mussels and snails in North America, and two state threatened mussels have been found in the proposed dredging area.
The proposed path of the Grand River Waterway woulddredge through shallow gravel habitat that provides quality fishing for a variety of gamefish in addition to providing spawning habitat for state threatened river redhorse.
Economic consequences
A study was commissioned by Grand River Waterway to demonstrate economic benefits of the channelization project and building of a 250-500 slip marina in the Grand Rapids area. That study did not address economic benefits that the natural, un-channelized Grand River currently provides, nor did it address the impact of dredging on current uses and economic impacts. The current un-channelized river corridor is used for activities including kayaking, canoeing, fishing, birdwatching, and hiking in numerous parks along the river that provide a peaceful environment for recreation. Existing businesses like the Grand Lady, a 105-foot long riverboat, and several fishing guides also regularly navigate the un-channelized river and could suffer from the impacts of dredging.
The area of focus for Grand River Waterway is the 23-mile stretch of river beyond the pictured Fulton Street bridge to Bass River near Eastmanville. Photo by Justin Dawes
The Grand River Waterway Economic Benefits Study also stated that “improved water quality may generate up to 49,000 new visitor days annually” even though this type of river channelization project often leads to reduced water quality. The potential economic consequences of dirtier water, reduced fishing opportunities, erosion of private and public lands along the river, and deposition of sediment in downstream areas were beyond the scope of the economic benefits study.
Even so, these detrimental but unquantified effects have been recognized by communities along the lower Grand River. Some additional unaccounted costs including the need for additional marine patrols and annual maintenance costs for dredging, snag removal, and buoys were highlighted at a work session of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners on April 9, 2019.
Opposition and support
The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution in opposition to the project on April 23, 2019, following the passage of similar resolutions by the Ottawa County Planning and Policy Committee and the Ottawa County Planning Commission. A separate resolution of opposition was passed by the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission on April 2, 2019.
Additional resolutions in opposition to the Grand River Waterway have been passed by:
Crockery Township
Grand Haven City Council
Grand Haven Convention and Visitors Bureau
Grand Haven Chamber of Commerce
Local organizations with concern for the river have also raised concerns. The West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC) passed a resolution in opposition to the dredging and provides an overview of the issue on their website. The Grand Rapids Steelheaders and Grand Haven Steelheaders passed votes in opposition to the project, and the Friends of the Lower Grand River formed recently in response to the possibility of river dredging. The Friends group drafted talking points on the dredging issue and also provides several related documents on their website.
Georgetown Township’s Finance Committee passed a resolution in support of the Grand River Waterway in July 2018. The Grandville City Council voted to table a similar resolution in 2018.
Although opposition has been strong at the local level, $3.15 million in state funds were appropriated for this project with the most recent $2 million approved during the Legislature’s lame duck session in 2018. While $150,000 in state funds are to be directed toward sediment boring study, the remaining $3 million is specified for dredging and related activities on the Grand River once permits are acquired. Former state Sen. Arlan Meekhof has been very supportive of the Grand River Waterway project, as evidenced by his editorial and this rebuttal in the Grand Haven Tribune.
Current state legislators Rachel Hood (D-76th House District), David LaGrand (D-75th House District), and Winnie Brinks (D-29th Senate District) have been actively working against the dredging and recently sent this letter to Governor Gretchen Whitmer and MDNR Director Daniel Eichinger calling for a halt to all state funding related to the Grand River Waterway project.
The future of the project is now uncertain, and legal questions related to the rights of riparian landowners faced with the prospect of a state-funded dredging project have yet to be resolved.
This article was written by Michigan Sea Grant Extension Educator Dr. Dan O’Keefe under award NA14OAR4170070 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce through the Regents of the University of Michigan. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Commerce, or the Regents of the University of Michigan.
The ACLU’s annual Grand Rapids luncheon Wednesday, May 16, at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. (Supplied/Courtesy John Corriveau)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
The Smart Justice Campaign, led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), has the stated goal to “eliminate racism in the criminal legal system and reduce the U.S. jail and prison population by 50 percent” across the nation.
(Federal Bureau of Prisions)
The need for the effort is clear: America has an “addiction” for incarceration, ACLU leaders like to say — despite having about five percent of the global population, the United States has nearly 25 percent of the world’s prison population, with about 2.3 million people in our nation’s jails and prisons currently, according to the ACLU. Our prison system costs taxpayers $80 billion per year nationwide.
And racial issues are a huge part in the problem: Persons who identify as “Black or African-American” make up about 13 percent of America’s population, but according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, as of May 2019, almost 38 parent of those incarcerated are black. One out of every three black males born today can expect to go to prison in his lifetime, as can one of every six Latino males, compared to one of every 17 white males, according to the ACLU.
But, as was part of the discussion at the ACLU’s annual Grand Rapids luncheon Wednesday, May 16, at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, the problems with America’s legal system are not entirely a racial issue and very much a West Michigan issue.
Brandon Buskey, ACLU national deputy director of the Smart Justice Litigation and Criminal Law Reform Project. (Supplied/Courtesy John Corriveau)
“There are a host of people who are trapped in this system, who cannot get out, who are not black or brown,” Brandon Buskey, ACLU national deputy director of the Smart Justice Litigation and Criminal Law Reform Project, said to WKTV prior to his keynote talk at the local luncheon. “But this is all still tied to our nation’s addiction to punishment. And we really don’t think about these kinds of systems because they are impacting people with the least amount of power.”
And those people without power, mostly people of color, are the focal point of the new ACLU Smart Justice Campaign.
Smart Justice Campaign elements
The campaign, according to ACLU information, focuses on five general areas: reforming sentencing laws and policies that lead to “extraordinary long” prison sentences; overhauling “harmful, unjust, and for-profit” bail systems that discriminate against the poor; challenging prosecutorial “abuse” in the courts and legislatures — and through voter education; addressing a “broken” parole and release system; and, finally, helping prisoner re-entry into society when they are confronted with “federal, state and local legal restrictions that make it difficult to reintegrate.”
“In a nutshell, the campaign for Smart Justice is a multi-year, multi-state effort,” Buskey said. “At the national level, we are developing blueprints for all 50 states, all of our affiliates, that sets forth a real set of options as to how we can realistically get to this goal of 50 percent decarceration. That is where it goes local. That is where states like Michigan have picked up the baton.”
That picking up of the Smart Justice baton, in Michigan and in the Grand Rapids area, has recently taken the form of both a ACLU lawsuit in the Detroit area to challenge bail procedures for low income persons and a local kick-off of a community organizing effort led by Richard Griffin, ACLU field organizer and a survivor of America’s penal system himself.
Local ACLU action focuses on community action
The ACLU’s West Michigan Smart Justice effort, led by Griffin, recently held its campaign launch event which highlighted the local, multi-organizational “community-based” program. Griffin is one of four community organizers recently set up across Michigan.
Richard Griffin, ACLU field organizer in Grand Rapids area. (Supplied/Courtesy John Corriveau)
“Here in Grand Rapids, we partnered with the NAACP, Linc Up (community development organization), as well as the Kent County probate division,” specifically the Probate Court’s Delta youthful offender program, “and other grassroots groups,” Griffin said to WKTV prior to the luncheon. “We wanted educate the Grand Rapids community and make sure the Grand Rapidians were informed as to what Smart Justice is … what the goals are to correct what is wrong with our criminal justice system.”
And what is next for the local Smart Justice effort?
“We want to galvanize this community, to mobilize individuals, whether that be through legislative advocacy to try to move the needle legislatively,” Griffin said, or “our canvasing efforts, to make sure we are getting the word out.”
Griffin has been on the job in Grand Rapids since last year. But his passion for the work runs deep — he was incarcerated at the age of 16 for a drug-related homicide and spent 23 years behind bars. For a WKTV In Focus interview with him from just after he took the ACLU position, visit here.
Over the time Griffin has been on the job locally, he said there has been some lessons learned.
“The biggest lesson is recognizing the social dynamic in Kent County between different demographics and ethnicities,” he said. “The black and the brown communities are dispersed, somewhat, and disconnected. … That was a stark reality for me to accept. I had not been around in this community for some time. Getting familiar with that. … That social and community disconnect is important in rolling out a campaign like this (Smart Justice). … Many people are disconnected from the issues while suffering from the issues.”
ACLU lawsuit against Detroit court system
The lawsuit in the Detroit area — led by the ACLU of Michigan, the national ACLU, and the law firm Covington & Burling LLP — is a federal class action lawsuit against the 36th District Court in Detroit for “violating the constitutional rights of people who are presumed innocent but are confined to jail because they cannot afford to pay bail following their arrest,” so states an ACLU statement echoed by Buskey.
“The lawsuit seeks an overhaul of an unconstitutional cash bail system that discriminates against poor people, locking them up because they cannot afford to pay while allowing those who have money to go free,” he said.
And, Buskey said to WKTV, the current system in the Detroit court system — and mirrored in varying ways across the nation, including in West Michigan — amounts to a modern debtor prison system and can discriminate against all poor persons not just poor persons of color.
“It may be a simple way of putting it, but (calling it debtor’s prison) is entirely accurate,” Buskey said. “In places like Detroit, the going assumption is that a person will have to pay some amount of money prior to their trial if they want to go home to their family. If they can’t pay that money, they are going to go back to jail, potentially for the rest of their case. These are people who have not been convicted of anything, they are presumed innocent and yet … we are essentially running a debtor’s prison.”
In the Detroit court system, Buskey pointed out, 85 percent of the people coming before the courts are having some kind of financial conditions set and they are often held because they cannot come up with the bail money — “and there are other options to make sure people come back to court, which is the whole reason for our current (bail) system.”
It is not just persons of color who are caught up in a legal system that discriminates against the poor, but in Detroit it is impossible to avoid the racial aspect.
“There are a number of reasons why we have allow these types of systems to persist,” Buskey said. “But in our county it is really had to separate the two issues (race and economic status). It is hard to separate the fact that people of color — black people, brown people — have traditionally been those with the least economic means in our country.”
Griffin added that the legal system problems faced by poor persons of color can and do impact all the community in West Michigan, but locally the numbers point to a racial problem as well.
“It is much more than a racially focused issue, but race is still a part of that conversation,” Griffin said. “While African American, Latinx as well as our Caucasian counterparts currently fill our Kent County jail, the African American community only represents 14 percent of this city’s population but we make up over 50 percent of Kent County jail’s population.”
But “more than it being an issue of race, it is an issue of treating people fairly,” he said. “The instruments used to facilitate a prosecution should be used to facilitate it equally and with the intent of reform are rehabilitation in mind, we are not geared to a punitive approach.”
For more information about the Smart Justice Campaign, visit aclumich.org .
A map of the Grand River entrance to Lake Michigan at Grand Haven. (Supplied/NOAA)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
As part of a bipartisan effort to update decades-old maps that assess ecological risks to Lake Michigan, including oil spills and natural disasters, Michigan’s U.S. Sen. Gary Peters and U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga joined a group of federal legislators last week to reintroduced legislation to update the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps of the Great Lakes.
The legislation, announced May 7, would direct the Great Lakes Region ESI maps to be updated for the first time in more than 20 years, according to supplied material, joining maps for the East coast, West coast, and Gulf coast that have been updated more recently.
ESI maps, which are coordinated through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), document the potential ecological impacts to natural and human-use resources from possible oil spills, natural disasters, and resource damage. The latest maps can be found at the following link.
The maps will “provide accurate assessments of coastal resources that are at risk of severe damage or a natural disaster, including endangered and threatened species, sensitive shoreline habitats, and widely used community resources such as beaches, parks and boat ramps.”
This information is also used in “planning to create cleanup strategies before an accident occurs so that authorities are better prepared to take action if needed.”
Peters co-authored similar legislation that passed the Senate last September.
“The Great Lakes are an invaluable economic and environmental resource not just for Michiganders but for countless others across the nation, and it is critical that they are monitored and studied as closely as other shorelines and major bodies of water,” Sen. Peters (Democrat) said in supplied material. “This bipartisan legislation would provide scientists and researchers with the necessary tools and data to rapidly respond to a potential oil spill and keep the Great Lakes vibrant and strong for generations to come.”
Rep. Huizenga (Republican, Michigan 2nd District) echoed the importance of the legislation.
“Whether it is responding to rapidly evolving events such as a natural disaster or planning long term projects such as habitat restoration, we need to have reliable and accurate information available,” Rep. Huizenga said in supplied material. “Having up to date ESI maps are vital to correctly identifying vulnerable locations and establishing priorities to properly protect Michigan residents as well as the Great Lakes ecosystem.”
Last year, Sen. Peter urged NOAA work to update the ESI maps for the Mackinac Straits. But this new legislation would impact all the Great Lakes shorelines, including the West Michigan Lake Michigan shoreline.
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, who represents Wyoming and Kentwood, talks to a group at a “Coffee with Constituents” visit to Marge’s Donut Den in Wyoming April 23. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (Republican-Michigan’s 2nd Congressional District), who represents Wyoming and Kentwood, has spoken loud and often of the positive impact of Republican-led 2017 tax cuts for businesses large and small, and he did so again Tuesday at a “Coffee with Constituents” visit to Marge’s Donut Den in Wyoming.
At the April 23 event, donut shop owner Marge Wilson, herself, echoed the congressman as she spoke to WKTV about what the tax cuts have meant for her business and her now-enlarged employee payroll.
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga and Marge Wilson at Marge’s Donut Den. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
“I was hoping (that the business tax cut) would help, but I got more value than I definitely expected,” Wilson said to WKTV. “The qualified business tax deduction … for my business, that was significant. I bought a new (commercial) mixer with the amount of taxes that I saved, and our mixer was needed.
“And then the tax bracket was reduced 3 percent, which was another help. … I was able to hire more people and give them a substantial raise in pay.”
Wilson said she hired four full-time employees.
The positive result of the tax cut “is significant,” Rep. Huizenga said to WKTV at the event. “I hear it all the time … it is real and it allows people, like Marge, and others, to hire additional people, to invest in their business.”
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga talks to a group at a “Coffee with Constituents” visit to Marge’s Donut Den in Wyoming April 23. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
According to information distributed by Rep. Huizenga’s office recently, since passage of the 2017 Republican tax cuts, economic growth hit nearly 3 percent, with just under 3.4 million new jobs and a 3.2 percent increase in hourly wages.
Rep. Huizenga’s visit to Wyoming was part of a series of “coffee hour” visits where not only the representative but members of his staff were present to assist 2nd District residents who have questions regarding federal policy or are having trouble with a federal agency. So far this year, according to his office, the congressman has held coffee hours in Hart, Baldwin, and Zeeland, and has participated in a town hall forum in Ludington.
The public meetings are “a touch point, having people who have very different perspectives and views, coming in and (my) spending a few minutes with them,” Rep. Huizenga said. “This is a good way for people to have that opportunity.”
Wilson said she appreciates the effort of elected officials such as Rep. Huizenga and local State Rep. Tommy Brann (R-House District 77).
“Both of those men excel at reaching out to people,” Wilson said. “They go where a lot of people go, so they are accessible. … Here they can have a coffee and a donut together, it’s a lot more relaxed. For those guys (Huizenga and Brann) to get out of their comfort zone and come to the people, I think that is huge.”
Tax cuts and donuts were only one (large) part of the discussion at Marge’s, and while many private constituent conversations remain so, Rep. Huizenga did talk to WKTV about how his work in Washington, D.C., has changed in the aftermath of the 2018 elections and the change of House of Representatives control to the Democrats.
“My priorities are the same it is just how do you work towards them,” he said. “It is different. I no longer have the ability as to what bill we are going to be taking up in a subcommittee. It is harder to directly influence (actions) but I still have the same goals and objectives,”
For more information about Rep. Huizenga’s office and how to contact his staff, visit huizenga.house.gov .
How much does flooding and other environmental problems linked to climate change, such as this past flooding on the Grand River, cost taxpayers locally and nationally? (WKTV)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
Michigan’s U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D), who is ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, will host a summit at Michigan State University on Earth Day to examine the rising costs to taxpayers from extreme weather and climate change.
The event, scheduled for Monday. April 22, at 10:30 a.m., in East Lansing, is open to the public and will be streamed live on Facebook.
“The Cost of Inaction: The Impacts of Climate Change and the Financial Burden on Taxpayers” will focus on the financial impacts of climate change on our national security, infrastructure, economy and public health, according to supplied material.
Sen. Peters will also announce a report with recommendations to help prevent further costs to taxpayers from the failure to prepare for and address damage from climate change.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.)
“In recent years, communities in Michigan and across the country have seen a rise in extreme weather events driven by climate change that have cost taxpayers nearly half a trillion dollars in cleanup and recovery,” Sen. Peters said in supplied material. “The federal government must take action today to combat and prepare for the effects of climate change so that we can save Michigan taxpayers billions of dollars in the coming years and protect our planet for future generations.”
Michigan communities including Lansing, Houghton and the Detroit metro area have experienced several historic rainfall and severe flooding events in the last five years, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to roads, bridges, property and businesses, according to supplied material.
The summit follows a recent Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) High Risk List report, which identified a need for the federal government to address the risks associated with climate change in a fiscally responsible way.
The report concluded that, “to reduce its fiscal exposure, the federal government needs a cohesive strategic approach with strong leadership and the authority to manage risks across the entire range of related federal activities.” In particular, the report examined the direct costs and impact associated with climate change on national security, public health, infrastructure, small business and more.
Experts invited to the summit include: Rear Admiral David W. Titley, U.S. Navy (ret.), Professor of Practice in Meteorology, The Pennsylvania State University; Director, Center for Solutions to Weather and Climate Risk; Paul C. Ajegba, Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation; Dr. Lorraine Cameron, Senior Environmental Epidemiologist, Michigan Climate and Health Adaption Program, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; Dr. Maria Carmen Lemos, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan; and Jim MacInnes, CEO of Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa.
The summit will take place at the Michigan State University Union, 49 Abbot Road. Public parking is available in the MSU garage located on Grand River Avenue. Additional public parking is available in the nearby East Lansing parking garages. Directions and maps for the MSU Union are available here.
The Kentwood Justice Center which houses the 62-B District Court (WKTV)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
Kentwood’s 62-B District Court and the 63rd District Court have concluded their monthlong waiver program, jointly resolving 281 cases by collecting $70,001.81 in past due fines/costs, according to a recent statement from the courts.
Specifically, the 62-B District Court collected $28,074.81 in payments on 102 cases, while the 63rd District Court collected $41,927 in payments on 179 cases.
“We are pleased that so many people were able to clear up the suspensions of their driver’s licenses and arrest warrants,” 62-B District Court Chief Judge William G. Kelly said in supplied material.
WKTV Journal recently interviewed Judge Kelly on the District court system past and present, see the Youtube video link here.
During the month of March 2019, the program allowed individuals to come into compliance with court orders by settling their debts without further penalty or incarceration. The program addressed outstanding warrants for non-compliance with a court order of fines, fees, court costs and any outstanding traffic or parking tickets that were in default or suspension.
“We are really pleased with how the waiver program went and that it helped so many people from our community to resolve their business with the court,” 63rd District Court Chief Judge Sara J. Smolenski said in supplied material. “Judge O’Hara and I appreciate our administration and staff, and the team at the 62-B District Court for their hard work on this program and their ongoing dedication to serving the public.”
Any individuals who have outstanding debts or would like to discuss any past-due fines and costs may contact the 62-B District Court at 616-698- 9310 or 63rd District Court at 616-632-7770 for further information.
Tune in to WKTV Government 26 for our upcoming Special Programming Events from NASA TV! On Wednesday, April 17, we will be featuring the launch of the newest Northrup Grumman Cygnus Cargo Craft, the S.S. Roger Chaffee, to the International Space Station.
Named after hometown hero Roger B. Chaffee, who died in the Apollo 1 spacecraft fire, the space station resupply craft will deliver several tons of cargo, including food, supplies and live mice for scientific experiments.
Coverage begins at 4:15pm, with the launch scheduled for 4:46pm from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
S.S. Roger Chaffee (photo supplied)
Then be watching Friday, April 19, for the rendezvous and capture of the S.S. Roger Chaffee to the ISS. Coverage begins at 4am, with the capture scheduled at 5:30am. Installation of the craft to the Unity Module of the Space Station starts at 7am.
For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov. NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channelon Comcast and AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.
It has been more than 28 years since the December night Richard “Richie” Hitchcock disappeared after an evening out at the Riverfront Lounge in Allegan. Despite an extensive initial search, and a dogged effort by family and friends to find out what happened to Richie, there has been no clues as to his fate.
Over the years, individuals and groups, usually led by Richie’s cousin, Kellie (Yunginger) Boers, and Richie’s brothers Steve and Andy, have tried many things to get information, only starting with a current $5,000 reward for information on the case. Over the years, they have posted flyers, painted information on rocks for people to find and inquire about, they have hooked up with the stock car racing community to keep the effort alive — despite knowing that Richie is most likely no longer alive.
Continuing that effort, on Saturday, March 23, Boers and others will hold a fundraising dinner to raise another $5,000 for the reward, pushing it to $10,000 total, at the Allegan Eagles (#2315) 110 Chestnut St., Allegan. The dinner will run 1-5 p.m., with include a chicken dinner with fixings, with live music, silent auction and raffles.
After almost three decades, the effort continues to give Richie’s family and friends a little peace by finding and putting Richie to peaceful rest.
“The reason we have never given up on searching for Richie is because we love him. He deserves to be looked for … He deserves to be found,” Boers said to WKTV. “We don’t deserve to suffer this loss nor grieve a family member whom we cannot find, but Rich didn’t deserve to serve out 28 years of his family not knowing where his final resting place is.”
Boers, in fact, has turned her lessons learned, skills and passion for right to becoming a advocate for all missing persons.
Richie “is the reason I became an advocate,” she said. “When I started investigating and searching for him, others saw what I was doing and referred people to me to ask how they could do the same for their families. … I am blessed that they think that highly of the work I do. I do it from my heart and soul.”
But front and center in her efforts, in her mind and heart — in the heart and mind of many — is always finding Richie.
“He is the reason we team up together, his brothers Steve and Andy and I, to help others who have missing loved ones,” Boers said. “We don’t want them to have to wait 28 plus years like we have.”
The group’s efforts over the years, while always continuing, have had some notable ideas.
There was an effort last spring to put pictures and information of his, along with other missing persons, on rocks, an effort called “Allegan Sticks and Stones.” The stones are left in random places for people to find and enquire about.
There are also race cars owned and driven by Boer’s local friends who race at “local tracks like Kalamazoo, Springport, Galesburg, New Paris, all over the state now … even up to Onaway … It’s gained momentum over the last about 4 years so we just keep printing them if they are willing to put them on their cars,” she said.
There was even a billboard effort last year, led by a Facebook fundraising campaign.
And on March 23, the effort to get more community support to find Richie will continue with the dinner fundraiser.
For more information on the dinner and the effort, visit the @helpusfindRichardHitchcockpage on Facebook.
The Kentwood Justice Center which houses the 62-B District Court (WKTV)
By Kent County
The 62-B District Court in Kentwood and the 63rd District Court announced today a waiver program for individuals to comply with court orders by settling their debts without further penalty or incarceration.
Specifically, the program addresses outstanding warrants for non-compliance with a court order of fines, fees, court costs and any outstanding traffic or parking tickets that have gone into default or suspension. The waiver program will be effective March 1-31.
“The waiver program gives people who have outstanding fines, fees, and court costs an opportunity to more reasonably resolve their business with the court,” said Chief Judge Sara J. Smolenski. “During the month of March, individuals have a great chance to meet their responsibilities and the program allows for payment plans to resolve their debts to the court without the worry of incarceration. This is a great program and people who qualify should jump at it.”
The 62-B and 63rd District Courts guarantee that those who pay in full will not be jailed because of the late payment. If the account is paid in full, the courts will waive all court-imposed late fees or warrant fees except for the $45 License Suspension Reinstatement Fees.
If an individual is unable to pay in full, but makes a significant payment, the courts will work with the individual to set-up a new payment plan regarding any outstanding balance and they will not be jailed. Any existing driver’s license suspension will not be lifted until the account is paid in full.
Payments can be made by, and for more information contact, calling 62-B at 616-698-9310 or 63rd District Court at 616-632-7770.
Kent County Department Of Public Works resource recovery specialist Lauren Westerman, in black, leads a tour of the county’s current waste recovery process. (Supplied/Kent County)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
A major component of the Kent County Department of Public Works’s plan to reduce county landfall waste by 20 percent by 2020 — and 90 percent by 2030 — is to gain community buy-in for the plan.
And a big part of that component is having Resource Recovery Specialists provide tours and presentations and “work collaboratively with community organizations to help them realize the impacts of waste on our community and how they can take action to help reduce our reliance on landfills,” according to supplied information.
As part of that effort, the county Department of Public Works (DPW) announced last week a major addition to department’s educational programs with the hire of Katelyn Nettler as a new resource recovery specialist.
In addition, the DWP announced that Lauren Westerman, also a resource recovery specialist, recently earned her environmental educator certification from the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education.
“We are always looking for ways to enhance our educational programs, and our resource recovery specialists play a vital role in our commitment to community outreach and education,” said Dar Baas, director of the Kent County Department of Public Works, said in supplied material. “Both Lauren and Katelyn bring fresh perspectives to our program and will help us develop new strategies for educating our community about the importance of protecting our environment through reducing, reusing, recycling and reimagining how we manage discards.”
Nettler comes to the DPW from the Blandford Nature Center where she was a volunteer and outreach manager. She will support Westerman with outreach and education through developing audio and visual content for the DPW’s website, social media and other platforms. Nettler’s role will focus on giving the community a look at the county’s trash and recycling process and teaching people how to safely dispose of chemicals and other hazardous materials.
“I am looking forward to working with community partners to ensure access and awareness of programs that help reduce waste designed for the landfill,” Nettler said. “There are many opportunities to reduce landfill waste in our community and I’m excited to hit the ground running in this new role.”
Westerman completed her environmental certification in November. The Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education offers an Environmental Educator Certification that is recognized by the North American Association for Environmental Education, a leading professional organization in environmental education.
According to MAEOE, environmental literacy can be defined as understanding how to make decisions that minimize environmental impact. Westerman will use her certification to grow Kent County DPW’s recycling and waste management education programs.
“I pursued this certification to expand my communication skills and gain experience as an environmental educator that I can apply to the Kent County DPW’s programs,” Westerman said. “This program challenged me to define objectives and goals for each program and to incorporate evaluation tools throughout the process. I am excited to continue using these new skills as I teach more recycling and waste programs in the coming years.”
Westerman has been with the Kent DPW for three years. In her role, she leads tours through the Recycling Center and Land ll, visits schools for various education programs, and interacts with the public throughout the year. She earned her Master of Environmental Science from Taylor University in Indiana.
For more information on Kent County’s 2020/2030 plans visit reimaginetrash.org .
The latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus offers two discussions focused on important topics: improving Michigan’s prison environment and how Calvin College is reaching out to inmates with education and life-changing opportunities, as well as the current opioid abuse and addiction public health crisis and how Kent County is working to address that crisis locally.
We also have two community guest hosts — City of Kentwood Commissioner Emily Bridson and Grand Rapids Community College instructor Keith St. Clair — who will bring their own unique views to the show.
First up, In Focus is Rachel Jantz, a Public Health Epidemiologist with the Kent County Health Department. She has served in this role for the past 2 and one half years. In March of 2018, the Kent County Commissioners approved the addition of two more experts to deal with emerging public health concerns — PFAs and the opioid epidemic. Jantz is the lead for the Kent County Opioid Task Force.
Then In Focus is Todd Cioffi, an associate professor at Calvin College, and director of Calvin Prison Initiative. The Calvin Prison Initiative, a partnership between Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary, provides a Christian liberal arts education to inmates at Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility, a state prison located in Ionia. This five-year program results in a bachelor of arts degree from Calvin College, but it is much more than simply an educational effort.
Starting Jan. 22m WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). In Focus is also available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com. All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
A Border Patrol agent drives past new vehicle barriers near Deming, N.M., built by U.S. Army soldiers. (U.S. Army historical photo)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
After President Donald Trump gives his State of the Union speech on Jan. 29, the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan’s 2019 Great Decisions global discussion series will debut with a discussion on the “State of the State Department” on Feb. 4-5.
Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, president of American Foreign Service Association (Supplied/World Affairs Council)
With Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, president of American Foreign Service Association, will be talking about the “State of the State Department” on both days, and will pose and then discuss the question: “Is the State Department currently equipped to do its diplomatic work?”
“Our organization’s perspective on this series is that to change the world — or to even begin to understand global issues — one first must know about the world, and that’s what we attempt to do with Great Decisions,” Michael Van Denend, executive director of the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan, said to WKTV.
The eight topics covered by the series were specifically chosen by the Foreign Policy Association in New York as the global issues every American community should know more about and currently be discussing. The World Affairs Council has been sponsoring the series since the mid-1950s.
“We’re particularly pleased with the expertise and diversity of the speakers coming to West Michigan this year,” Van Denend said. “There are two ambassadors, a cyber security FBI agent, two journalists reporting on Eastern Europe and Syria, and one of the country’s foremost China experts. Attending these presentations will open up many corners of the world for participants.”
The annual series, which bring leaders in international theory and action to Grand Rapids for lectures, will offer two options to attend: Mondays, 6-7:15 p.m., at Aquinas College Performing Arts Center; and Tuesdays, noon-1 p.m. at the Recital Hall in the Covenant Fine Arts Center at Calvin College.
There is a $10 general-public admission fee per discussion, with no reservations needed and free parking.
The series will continue through March 25-26.
The Great Decisions format features a world-class expert leading each conversation, followed by an extensive question-answer session.
The reminder of the 201 series will feature:
Feb. 11 and 12: “Democracy on the Run: Dispatches from Eastern Europe”, a behind-the-scenes-look at rising anti-democratic efforts abroad, lead by Carol Schaeffer, a freelance journalist.
Feb. 18 and 19: “Immigration Policy beyond the Border”, a talk “shedding light on a complicated and contentious issue with thoughtful dialogue,” according to supplied material, with Ambassador Jim Nealon, former U.S. Ambassador to Honduras.
Feb. 25 and 26: “A New Nuclear Arms Race?”, with Kelsey Davenport, of the Arms Control Association, discussing “Russia. North Korea. Iran. What’s our nuclear future?”
Mar. 4 and 5: “China-U.S. Trade War”, with Amy Celico, Albright Stonebridge Group (ASG), discussing “How will we handle the most important bilateral relationship of the 21st century?”
Mar. 11 and 12: “Life After the Arab Uprisings and the Islamic State”, a ground-level report from a brave Lebanese journalist, Rania Abouzeid, author of “No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria”, a New York Times 2018 Notable Book.
Mar. 18 and 19: “Global Cyber Threats” with FBI Special Agent Peter Jolliffe discussing “Cyber risks are on the rise — can we thwart them?”
And finally, on Mar. 25 and 26: “Mexico and the U.S.: The Economic Ties that Bind”, Carlos Capistran, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, New York City, discussing “What must we do to make certain both countries thrive?”
The Aquinas College Performing Arts Center is located at 1703 Robinson Road S.E., Grand Rapids. The Covenant Fine Arts Center at Calvin College is located at 1795 Knollcrest Cir SE, Grand Rapids.
The World Affairs Council of Western Michigan is located at 1700 Fulton Street E., Grand Rapids, For more information on sessions, dates and times, as well as detailed information on speakers, visit worldmichigan.org .
Kent County Land for planned Sustainable Business Park, aerial shot that includes the property adjacent to the landfill, with the landfill in the background. (Supplied/Kent County)
By Kent County
In an effort to provide opportunity for partnerships and innovative approaches to managing waste, the Kent County Board of Public Works last week approved the Sustainable Business Park Master Plan for 250 acres adjacent to the South Kent Land ll in Byron Center.
The Sustainable Business Park Master Plan was created by local and national experts over the course of 12 months and includes details on the necessary improvements, costs, funding sources and implementation schedule for the project.
“We set a bold goal of diverting 90 percent of trash from the South Kent Land ll by 2030, and building a Sustainable Business Park is essential to reaching that goal,” said Dar Baas, Director of the Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW). “With the approval of the Master Plan we have a roadmap for how organizations, businesses, technology developers, startups and non-profits can help us make progress toward our economic and environmental goals and advance our vision for a Circular Economy.”
The Master Plan includes recommendations for how Kent County can transition from a reliance upon disposal of trash in landfills towards a sustainable materials management system where waste materials are either reused in new processes or products or used in the production of energy.
Building a Sustainable Business Park is part of the Kent County DPW’s solution to decreasing the growing amount of solid waste buried in Kent County’s South Kent Land ll. Kent County DPW processes over 1 billion pounds of waste each year at its facilities and estimates 75 percent of that waste could be reused, recycled or converted. Currently, only 6 to 8 percent of waste is recycled.
“The Sustainable Business Park is a step in the right direction to finding alternatives to landfilling waste,” said Ted Vonk, chair of the Board of Public Works. “By approving this Master Plan we are proving Kent County to be a national leader in implementing a practical, innovative approach to managing our waste while creating jobs in our region.”
For more information about the Sustainable Business Park and to download the completed plan, visit www.reimaginetrash.org.
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal: In Focus, we present in-depth interviews with both sides of the current conflict between the Kent County Commission, and Sheriff’s Department, and Movimiento Cosecha GR over the county Sheriff’s department contract with the federal Immigration and Custom Enforcement agency, known as ICE.
The contract between the Sheriff’s Department and ICE relates to the processing and holding in the county jail of persons suspected of crimes who also have an unclear immigration status.
Cosecha is a national nonviolent movement fighting for the dignity, respect and permanent protection of all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.
Early in September, the Kent County Board of Commissioners took the highly unusual step of recessing, relocating and excluding the public from its regular monthly meeting due to the continued protest of board meetings by members of Movimiento Cosecha GR and Rapid Response to ICE. Commission leadership say it does not have the legal authority to end the contract or direct the Sheriff to do so. But members of the protesting groups say the commission will not even conduct good-faith discussions with them on the issue.
WKTV brings you both sides of this important and divisive issue.
“WKTV Journal: In Focus” airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel. But all interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal: In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
Kent County Undersheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young, shown from a 2016 interview at the WKTV Journal studio, has been named to be Sheriff. (WKTV)
By WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org
Kent County administration announced Thursday that Undersheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young has been appointed Sheriff to fill the unexpired term of Sheriff Larry Stelma, who retires on Nov. 1 of this year.
Two individuals applied for the position — Undersheriff LaJoye-Young and Lt. Marc Burns. Kent County Chief Probate Judge David M. Murkowski chaired the statutorily mandated selection appointment committee and served along with Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker and Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus-Lyons. The committee’s decision was unanimous.
“The committee appreciates both candidates interest in the position and their commitment to law enforcement,” said Judge Murkowski in supplied information. “Lt. Burns has served the Kent County Sheriff’s Department well and has an impressive resume.”
“However, today it is an honor for the committee to appoint Undersheriff LaJoye-Young to the position of Kent County Sheriff,” Murkowski said. “She possesses an unparalleled knowledge of the operation and procedures of the Sheriff’s Department, having worked in every division and served in every rank in the Department.
“Furthermore, the Undersheriff enjoys wide-based community support and commands the respect of every law enforcement agency across the state of Michigan and beyond. She has demonstrated throughout her career a great capacity and ability to lead and possesses an unwavering enthusiasm for the administration of justice.”
She will also be the county’s first female Sheriff.
“The fact Michelle LaJoye-Young will serve as the first female Sheriff for Kent County serves as the perfect exclamation point to a truly momentous day,” Murkowski said.
Kent County Undersheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young’s appointment to Sheriff will be effective Nov. 1.
(L-R) Gordon Oosting from Mel Trotter Ministries joins Airport Board Members Floyd Wilson, Jr., Dan Koorndyk, GFIAA CEO Jim Gill, Airport Board Members Roger Morgan and Birgit Klohs, and Lake Michigan Credit Union’s Don Bratt in donating coins for the ‘For GRReat Change’ program. (Photo supplied)
Loose change in your pockets now has a home, thanks to new donation coin containers at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GFIA). The coin containers are in place at both the standard screening line and the TSA Pre-Check line, and airport board members were among the first to drop in coins this morning as a part of the airport’s new program, “For GRReat Change”.
GFIA installed the new coin containers in an effort to support a local West Michigan charity, while at the same time expediting the security screening process. All donations will go to Mel Trotter Ministries with donations being matched by Lake Michigan Credit Union.
“We know many travelers come to the security checkpoint with change in their pockets. Normally, they would empty their pockets and place it in a bowl before going through security, but now they can drop it before they go through security and donate to a good cause,” said GFIA President & CEO Jim Gill. “This not only expedites the security lines because it is one less item to screen, but it goes toward helping to end homelessness in West Michigan. We are proud to partner with Mel Trotter Ministries and Lake Michigan Credit Union to give back to our community.”
GFIA is unveiling the new containers before a busy fall schedule for the airport when seasonal flights gear up, which is also a crucial time for Mel Trotter Ministries prior to the holidays.
“We are always exploring unique ways to partner with individuals and organizations in West Michigan and this coin container project is another example of how together we can make a greater impact,” said Abbey Sladick, VP of Communication at Mel Trotter Ministries.
“We are grateful to the generous passengers, to the airport and to LMCU for their commitment to solving a serious community issue that affects thousands of our neighbors every year.”
“Lake Michigan Credit Union is thrilled to be a part of this creative way to make a difference benefitting Mel Trotter Ministries at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport,” said Lake Michigan Credit Union SVP of Marketing Don Bratt. “We are excited to double the impact that passengers can make through the donation of their change.”
WMHCC’s Luis Avila, Board President, and Amy Marshall, Board Secretary have been recognized as two of this year’s Grand Rapids Business Journal’s ’40 Under 40′ for their professional acumen, servant leadership, and community advocacy.
Since 2002 the GRBJ has recognized over 300 progressive young professionals who have achieved personal success and made noteworthy civic contributions to the community. This year’s honorees will be feted at GRBJ’s 2018 40 Under 40 Party on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 20 Monroe Live.
After working in Geneva, Switzerland for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Avila joined Varnum in 2011. Avila focuses his practice on labor, employment and immigration matters.
In addition to his work as an attorney, Avila currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and as a board member at the Grand Rapids Ballet, Grand Rapids Symphony and Grand Rapids Art Museum. In 2014, Governor Rick Snyder appointed Avila to serve on the Board of Medicine for the State of Michigan.
Avila has been named to the GRBJ’s ’40 under 40′ on four separate occasions. In addition, he has been named a Rising Star by Michigan Super Lawyers and to the Lawyers of Color ‘Hot List’.
Amy Marshall (photo supplied)
Marshall is a Managing Partner at Management Business Solutions (MBS). Marshall started her journey at MBS in February 2009. As of February 2014, she achieved her goal of officially becoming a part-owner of MBS.
She is also currently serving on three Executive Boards of Directors in Grand Rapids: The West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (Secretary), the YMCA Spartan Stores (Board Chair) and The Maria Lida Foundation (Secretary). She also volunteers with many local organizations including our Communities Children to help develop youth for employment opportunities.
In 2010 and 2012, Marshall received the GRBJ’s ’40 Under 40′ Award and was a nominee for the ATHENA Young Professional Award. Amy has also received the ’50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan’ Award through the GRBJ.
The City of Wyoming’s incumbent State Rep. Tommy Brann (R-77th District) and the City of Kentwood’s incumbent State Rep. Steve Johnson (R-72nd District) each cruised to easy victories in their respective Republican primaries in voting Tuesday, Aug. 7.
In state Senate primary voting, former state representative and ex-Gov. Rick Snyder cabinet member Aric Nesbitt won a three-way battle in the Republican primary for the State Senate 26th District seat, which represents Kentwood. Also, incumbent State Sen. Peter MacGregor (R-28th District), running unopposed for a seat which represents Wyoming, now knows who he will be opposed by on the Democratic side, retired public-school teacher Craig Beech.
Also now set for the Nov. 6 general election ballot is the two local U.S. Congressional races.
Incumbent Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-2nd District) will be opposed by Democrat Dr. Rob Davidson — no surprise as both were unopposed in the primary — in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched federal races in the state.
And incumbent Rep. Justin Amash (R-3rd District) will be opposed by Democrat Cathy Albro, who defeated Fred Wooden in the Democratic primary.
Election results, by the numbers
According to the Kent County election website at accesskent.com, following are the election results for each candidate for their entire voting district:
In the State House of Representatives Republican primary for the 77th District, which covers the City of Wyoming, Byron Township and a portion of Cutlerville (for a district map, click here), incumbent Rep. Brann totaled 8,974 while Jordan T. Oesch had 814. On the Democratic primary side, Dana Knight totaled 3,943 while Robert Van Kirk had 1,996. Unopposed Libertarian candidate Patty Malowney had 74 votes.
In the State House of Representatives Republican primary for the 72nd District, which covers the cities of Kentwood and Wayland, along with a portion of Cutlerville and the community of Dorr (for a district map, click here), Rep. Johnson totaled 5,971 while Jennifer Antel had 1,806. Unopposed Democratic candidate Ron Rraayer had 6,067 votes and Libertarian candidate Jamie Lewis had 52.
In the State Senate Republican primary for the 26th District, which includes the City of Kentwood along with all of Allegan and Van Buren counties (for a district map, click here), Nesbitt totaled 4,041 while Bob Genetski had 2,331 and Don Wickstra had 1,379. Unopposed Democratic candidate Garnet Lewis gained 6,101 votes and Libertarian candidate Erwin Haas gained 49.
In the State Senate Democratic primary for the 28th District, which includes the City of Wyoming as well as the cities of Walker, Rockford and Cedar Springs (for a district map, click here), Beech totaled 7,688 while Gidget Groendyk had 6,444 and Ryan Jeanette had 4,427. Unopposed Republican incumbent Sen. MacGregor had 30,476 votes and Libertarian candidate Nathan Hewer gained 224.
On the Federal election side, in the 2nd District, Rep. Huizenga totaled 14,219 votes while Democratic challenger Davidson had 12,445. In the 3rd District, Rep. Amash totaled 44,304 while Democrats Albro had 30,969 votes and Wooden had 14,808.
As Michigan voters go to the polls this week for primary elections, there will be nearly 200,000 fewer registered voters on the rolls in Kentwood, Wyoming and around the state as there were prior to the 2016 election.
The Michigan Department of State recently detailed that as part of the state’s election security readiness, Secretary of State Ruth Johnson and the state’s Bureau of Elections have cleared the state’s voting registration rolls of about 1.2 million names since 2011, about 200,000 since 2016.
Call it voter “validation” or “scrubbing” or “purging,” the breakdown of the 1.2 million total, according to Johnson’s office, includes about 563,000 once-registered voters who have died, about 500,000 who moved within the state and re-registered, about 134,000 who moved out of state and have registered as voters elsewhere, and — Secretary Johnson specifically points out — “3,512 non-citizens”.
The Secretary of State and the Bureau of Elections Qualified Voter File upgrades are only part of a recent and ongoing voter security effort in the state, and WKTV has been covering those efforts.
Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, left, with new voting equipment.(Supplied/SOS office)
As part of “continuous voter-list maintenance efforts, the Bureau of Elections and local clerks regularly scrub the voter list to remove ineligible voters,” Johnson has stated a press release from her office and in an op-ed submitted to other media. This includes “an upgraded Qualified Voter File system used by the Bureau of Elections and local clerks to maintain the state’s registered voter list and other election-related data.”
Not everybody gives the state Qualified Voter File system as glowing a review, however.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan questions the claim of the non-citizen voters purged and advocates for another way the state’s system could be made better — by citizen action rather than government action.
“I haven’t seen any proof to substantiate the claim that thousands of non-citizens were purged from the voting rolls,” Sharon Dolente, Voting Rights Strategist for the ACLU of Michigan, said to WKTV. “Between 2013 and the present, the Secretary has offered numbers ranging from 11 to 3,500, but absolutely no proof.
“Michigan (also) needs a failsafe system that allows an eligible voter to re-register if they were improperly purged,” Dolente said. “Same Day Registration would provide that failsafe. Voters will have a chance to implement this policy measure through the Promote the Vote initiative this fall.”
The “non-citizens” total is 0.3 percent of all voters scrubbed from the rolls and 0.05 percent of the total number of registered voters in Michigan, which is 7,387,689 as of July 28, according to Johnson’s office.
In brief, local city and township clerks, including the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood, perform the actual scrubbing of registered voter files, as directed by the Secretary of State and the Bureau of Elections. The Kent County Clerk’s election division is not directly involved.
“Michigan’s Qualified Voter File (QVF) is maintained, and voters can only be added or removed, by the Secretary of State or Michigan’s municipal (280 city or 1,240 township) clerks throughout the state,” Robert J. Macomber, Chief Deputy County Clerk, said to WKTV. “A county clerk does not have the authority to remove voters from the QVF, even despite being the issuer of death certificates.
“While serving as the chief Elections Official of the county voting process, the County Clerk only serve as a pass-through with regards to the voter registration process. An individual may register to vote at their County Clerk’s office, but we forward that paperwork onto the local clerks, as they serve as the maintainer of the voter lists for their respective jurisdiction.”
Removal of voters who have died is a straight-forward process, and occurs if “the clerk receives or obtains information that the voter has died. (From) sources: QVF inbox notification; county clerk; death notices published in newspaper; personal knowledge,” as detailed in the elections manual.
Voters who moved out of state are removed after it is confirmed they have registered to vote using an out-of-state address that is newer than their Michigan home address and/or registration. But the removal of voters from Michigan voter rolls using the Interstate Crosscheck system takes time.
“All people believed to have moved away are sent mailings prior to the registration cancellation,” Fred Woodhams, spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s office, said to WKTV. “The actual cancellation does not happen until two federal election cycles (Novembers in an even year) have occurred. If the person votes or updates their voter information in Michigan before the cancellation occurs, the cancellation process stops.”
The Interstate Crosscheck system is run by the Kansas Secretary of State, according to multiple media reports. Other states send in their voter data and Kansas processes it, then notifies them if there are any possible matches. Matches can occur when people move to a new state and register to vote without cancelling their previous registration. In 2017, 28 states participated and 7.2 million potential matches were identified.
Use of the system recently suffered a legal setback as a federal court in June blocked an Indiana voter registration law which would allow the state to immediately strike voters from the electoral rolls.
Voters who have moved within the state of Michigan and re-register can, however, be removed from old voter rolls immediately.
Removal can and will occur if “a voter who moves to a new jurisdiction within Michigan has his or her voter registration address change along with the address for the person’s driver’s license or state ID card,” Woodhams said. “In this case, we can be certain the person has moved out of one jurisdiction into another.”
The process of determining if a person is not a American citizen was not detailed by the Secretary of State’s office.
Also, Woodhams said there is no statistics kept on how many voters were scrubbed broken down by political party. Michigan does not require voters to choose a party when registering and “only presidential primary ballots ore differentiated by party … August primary voters are all issued one ballot that contains columns of candidates for the Republican, Democratic and Libertarian parties. The voter marks the ballot only in the column for one of the parties.”
The City of Kentwood announced today that Kalamazoo Avenue from 52nd Street to 60th Street is slated to be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 2 while the road receives a joint repair treatment.
The MSU Extension Master Gardener Program changes lives. Committed to improving the quality of life in Michigan through horticulture-based volunteerism and beautifying communities throughout the state, the program provides instruction in basic, research-based horticulture science to motivated and active gardeners through an adult (18 years or older) educational program offered by MSU Extension. More info here.
We’ve been fed alternative facts: There is no such thing as multi-tasking. You’re not doing two things at once, you’re switching back and forth. And if you have three or four or five things going, your performance suffers.
Kentwood’s Kalamazoo Avenue from 52nd Street to 60th Street to be closed Aug. 2.
City of Kentwood
The City of Kentwood announced today that Kalamazoo Avenue from 52nd Street to 60th Street is slated to be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 2 while the road receives a joint repair treatment.
A detour route will be posted. Traffic delays should be anticipated.
The work is part of the City of Kentwood’s ongoing commitment to road repair and maintenance. Kentwood maintains the highest-rated major street network in Kent County according to data compiled by the Grand Valley Metro Council in its 2017 Regional Pavement Condition Survey Report.
For more information regarding Kentwood summer road projects, visit www.kentwood.us.
While the Michigan Department of State has recently been touting the state’s election security readiness, Secretary of State Ruth Johnson and the state’s Bureau of Elections which she oversees recently announced that it would be hiring an outside firm to conduct the state’s first “extensive security-related review” of cybersecurity readiness.
The news of the planned cybersecurity review was first announced in late June when the state included in its 2018-19 budget $535,000 in state money to match a federal grant and making available a total of $11.2 million for enhanced election security.
“Regarding the $11.2 million in new state and federal money for election security,” Fred Woodhams, Michigan Secretary of State’s Office spokesperson, said in an email to WKTV. “The Bureau of Elections is seeking to hire an experienced firm with election administration and cybersecurity expertise to perform the security review with at least initial findings expected to be reported before the November general election.”
The outside firm will “conduct a security review of state, county and local election-related systems to identify potential vulnerabilities and methods to mitigate them,” he said. “The work will be the first time such an extensive security-related review will be performed but that is just the start of our plans to use the new money for election upgrades over the next few years.”
Currently, the state’s Chief Security Officer, housed in the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, oversees the state’s IT systems and has an office devoted to cybersecurity, according to Woodhams.
The Chief Security Officer “office works closely with our elections and IT staff,” Woodhams said. “The state has long-standing efforts to protect systems from malicious activity. In addition to those efforts, the new money will be allow us to hire an outside firm to search for vulnerabilities to the systems of the state and also local communities. It will be the first time that part has been done.”
The cybersecurity threat to local elections is an on-going debate in Washington, D.C., but the overall threat was made clear in February of this year when a Congressional Task Force on Election Security reported “Russia’s unprecedented assault on the country’s elections in 2016 – including targeting 21 states’ voting systems – exposed serious national security vulnerabilities to our election infrastructure – which includes voting machines and voter registration databases.”
There is no evidence that Michigan’s voting system was compromised by any entity in 2016.
“We are very confident in the state’s elections systems,” Woodhams said, “due to, among other reasons, the extensive and redundant accuracy and integrity practices that include a weeks-long, thorough canvassing process that verifies each precinct’s results, and ballot and voter numbers to make sure everything adds up.”
Voting machines in the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood were upgraded last year. (Supplied)
Woodhams also pointed out the many election upgrades Secretary Johnson and the Bureau of Elections have put in place for the 2018 election cycle, including all new next-generation election equipment used in all 1,520 cities and townships, expanded cybersecurity training for local election administrators and post-election audits that include ballot validation.
Woodhams’ remarks echo a statement by Secretary Johnson, in previous Department of State press release, regarding why the state’s voters should be confident in election security.
“Most importantly, every voter across Michigan still will use a good, old-fashioned paper ballot to mark their choices,” Secretary Johnson said. “Then they’ll feed the ballot into a new next-generation voting machine designed with security in mind. But buying all new election equipment isn’t all we’ve done to safeguard our election system.
“We carefully reviewed and improved our systems, and we’ll be putting $11 million of federal security grants toward further strengthening them against attack. Plus, we’re adding required cybersecurity training to our local clerk education programs.”
After Kent County installed new voting machines in time for last year’s fall election, the Aug. 7 primary will be the first statewide election in which every city and township will use all new voting equipment that includes optical-scan ballot tabulators, accessible voting devices for voters with disabilities, and new election-management and reporting software.
Just when you’re in the throes of enjoying the lush tree canopy in city, it stops being lush. One day, the shade is gone. The leaves are decimated. The mess is significant.
We can thank our nemesis, the gypsy moth, for that. Despite the June 5th spray in Wyoming, these buggers are back in force. (To learn how gypsy moths came to be such a menace in America in the first place, go here. Warning: Not for the faint of heart.)
The City of Wyoming shares your frustration. The spray has not been as effective as in years past. A gypsy moth consultant says that there are several reasons for this.
According to the City’s website, under ideal spray conditions, 80% mitigation is expected. The consultant believes that extreme cold in April combined with extreme heat in May disrupted many of the gypsy moths’ normal patterns and resulted in fewer gypsy moth larva ingesting the spray product.
The City of Wyoming is documenting calls and conveying that information to the City Council and the consultant. Residents’ calls and emails are valuable and will help determine where treatment is needed in the future.
Thuricide (sold under various brand names) — read the label to ensure it contains Btk
Tanglefoot — this is a wrap that goes around the tree trunk and it prevents the caterpillars from going up to the tree canopy to eat
Pheromone traps are another option, though they are not as effective
Another option is to hire a private contractor to treat smaller trees and ornamentals. Use caution when using other products as some can affect bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
Refer to the City of Wyoming’s Facebook page or website for more information. There’s a form you can fill out on the website to alert the City to gypsy moths in your area. Use it.
Michigan State University Extension has more information on what to do about gypsy moth infestations. Go here.
