Issues

For years, Grand Rapids has been in the midst of a surge in downtown development — with a forest of tower cranes building apartments at Monroe North, or expansions along Medical Mile, or new hotel space in the city center. 

Heart of West Michigan United Way partnered with local agencies to assemble the annual holiday volunteering and giving guide, aiding families in need for the holiday season. 

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a shelter-in-place order that will require all noncritical Michigan businesses and operations to temporarily close.

People who know Jessica Anne Bratt describe her as something of a library wunderkind — a 34-year-old who was promoted last year to become the Grand Rapids Public Library’s first Black assistant director.

It’s not easy to be a teacher right now. A debate over masks, vaccines and more has put students and educators in the midst of an intense political debate over how to handle COVID-19.

Women At Risk International, otherwise known as WAR International, is an organization that recovers victims of human trafficking and employs them.

Partners for a Racism-Free Community hands the baton to WMCAT.

A small community bank is making a difference for families in need this winter season with its "Blanket the Community" project, now in its fourth year. 

A Grand Rapids sports team is giving back to those who are impacted by COVID-19.

The third community conversations event for Grand Rapids African American Health Institute will focus on women and mental health.

The Gadziemskis have turned their passion into a sanctuary.

Two Michigan cannabis companies are partnering with a school to create a social equity scholarship program for 20-plus adults in the cannabis industry.

Social distancing has become the new normal, but not all are following the guidelines.

A blood drive will be held at a local college to increase the blood supply at local hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“My wife was driving to work and passed a homeless man who was sleeping with his head on the cement. She put a pillow under his head and she sees the man walking around with that pillow. Something so small can have such a big impact and it didn’t change her quality of life. It took her 60 seconds and it meant a lot to him.”

Egg prices in Michigan have skyrocketed, surging over 50% from last year, with even sharper increases in recent months.

It’s not hard to find Tami VandenBerg’s house. Set in a cozy part of Eastown, her front yard is the only one on her street littered with yard signs. “Black Lives Matter,” and “Science is Real,” reads one; another backs a Democrat for state attorney general.

Buddy’s Pizza will resume selling dog treats at its restaurants, with proceeds going to support an animal welfare nonprofit.

One thumbprint by one woman — Esperance, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — helped start a movement that has reached from the top of Kilimanjaro to the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon, from dusty African villages to glamorous cocktail parties in the United States.

Willow Waldron once spent summer afternoons paddling her kayak through West Michigan’s winding rivers, with her three dogs in tow. But those carefree outings...