Month: November 2020

VOTE HERE! There is nothing small about the impact that small business has on our community. Over the past nine months, we have seen small businesses throughout our region and state put their skills to the test to innovate and reinvent to better support customer needs. While nearly every small business was impacted by the […]

Did you know that Western Michigan University’s (WMU) dance department is one of the largest in the Midwest and its graduates go on to professional careers as dancers, choreographers, educators, and much more? Like many other educational experiences this year at the university, the department has faced its challenges during COVID-19—especially since its primary form […]

Now that we have your attention, we promise this is important, and you’ll want to know more. Every five years, the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research (Upjohn Institute) and the Southcentral Michigan Planning Council (SMPC) work with regional partners including industry leaders, the public sector, places of higher education, and you, the greater community, […]

Tonight, Governor Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a new emergency order to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect our families, frontline workers, and small businesses from the virus. This order takes effect this Wednesday and will be in effect for three weeks, as they continuously monitor […]

Did you know that there are currently 16 million Americans providing unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias? These caregivers provide an estimated 18.6 billion hours of care valued at nearly $244 billion. During the month of November, caregivers are being honored and supported during National Family Caregivers Month. Caregivers provide necessary support […]

Currently operating as a food truck and offering catering, Cairo’s Kitchen, a traditional Egyptian restaurant is opening a brick and mortar location in the Exchange Building in spring 2021. But, if you were to ask Ramy Rezkalla and his family a year ago, cooking and selling their mother’s food, let alone opening a restaurant was […]

Built one brick at a time, the Rose Park Veterans Memorial along the Kalamazoo River is a local memorial dedicated to Veterans. The memorial features five, seven-foot granite monuments in the shape of a star with etchings of U.S. military servicemen and women from wars of the past and is dedicated to those who will […]

What started as a way to help her family out has turned into a career for Jamie Brock, as well as a way to let her entrepreneurial spirit soar. In 2014, Jamie purchased Coffee Rescue from her brother and continues to serve as the sole owner. While coffee has consistently been a part of the […]

All of the votes have been counted in Kalamazoo County, and the results, while still unofficial, have been determined. Below is a list of all the individuals who won the key offices we’ve been tracking for you all along during this election cycle. In addition to these races for important local seats, the Kalamazoo County […]

Last week, Michigan restaurants faced new restrictions for seating guests when the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services extended its epidemic order to limit non-residential indoor gatherings without fixed seating such as weddings, parties, and banquets to 50 people—the limit was 500—and restrict individual table sizes at bars, restaurants, and social events outside private […]

Tires across southwest Michigan are squealing in excitement for the announcement made in Three Rivers earlier this week. The Three Rivers City Commission adopted a resolution that will get American Axle and Manufacturing (AAM) one mile closer to the finish line on its expansion project that would create about 100 new positions, benefiting a majority of […]

Seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates declined in all 17 Michigan major labor market areas during September 2020, according to data released from the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB). “Michigan regional jobless rates decreased in September, but the reductions primarily were due to fewer persons in the state labor market,” said Wayne Rourke, acting […]