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13 ON YOUR SIDE
Couple works to fulfill their dream opening dog daycare in Cedar Springs
CEDAR SPRINGS, Mich. — A new business will soon make Cedar Springs its home. On Tuesday morning, ground was broken during a special ceremony, bringing one couples dreams of caring for dogs one step closer to reality. Aaron and Vera Lenartz are the future owners of Petz-Prefurred, a dog...
Misinformation campaign around visitor tax ahead of Aug. 6 vote
KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Backers of the proposed visitors tax in Kent County said there is a misleading text and billboard campaign targeting voters ahead of the Aug. 6 vote. Some residents are confused about how the tax works. The tax is a visitor tax, meaning it’s paid by people outside of the county. Kara Wood, Grand Action Executive Director, said residents won’t see the tax unless they spend the night in a local hotel or motel.
Muskegon Co. mom hopes son's death will help stop gun violence in her community
MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. — A Muskegon County mother hopes her son’s death inspires others to put the gun down and stop gun violence. On Tuesday, Kevin Wilson was sentenced to 24 to 80 years in prison for the death of Dylan Owens. Owens was killed in December of...
New restaurant to go in place of now closed Grand Rapids Jolly Pumpkin
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A restaurant on the West Side of Grand Rapids has closed permanently. The Jolly Pumpkin was located at the corner of Bridge Street and Summer Avenue. The Detroit-based brewery opened the West Side location back in 2018. Their Detroit, Ann Arbor, Dexter, East Lansing and Traverse City locations remain open.
Proposed Grand Rapids apartment development moves forward
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A new, five-story apartment building with commercial retail space could be coming soon to the northeast side of Grand Rapids after city commissioners approved a rezoning ordinance on Tuesday afternoon. City commissioners voted unanimously in favor of the rezoning approval. They hope the courtyard-style apartment...
GRPD: 5 people OD in Heartside Park due to suspected 'tainted batch' of heroin
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Police are warning the community about a suspected bad batch of heroin that caused at least five people to overdose at a downtown park. The overdoses were non-fatal, authorities said, and it happened over the past 24 hours in Heartside Park along Ionia Avenue between Wealthy and Cherry Streets.
Police: Columbus officers fatally shoot man wielding knives near RNC in Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE — Five Columbus Division of Police officers providing security near the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week discharged their firearms, fatally shooting a man wielding a knife Tuesday. The shooting happened just after 1 p.m. about a mile from the Fiserv Forum, in the outer perimeter of...
1 year later, distracted driving laws show some progress. Officials say more needs to come
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Since Michigan instated the Hands-Free driving law in June of 2023, there have been less incidents of distracted-driver crashes, according to data from the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. One year later, authorities say while trends may have been positive, more must be done.
List of millage proposals on the August ballot in Ottawa County
OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — Michiganders will head to the polls on Tuesday, Aug. 6 for a primary election. In Ottawa County, voters will decide on races either in the Republican or Democratic primary election. Ballots will include primary races for various local, state and national positions. Voters may also find bond proposals, millages or local proposals on their ballots.
Donald Trump, new VP Pick JD Vance plans Grand Rapids rally this weekend
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Former President Donald Trump is returning to the campaign trail in West Michigan. Saturday's rally in Grand Rapids will be his first with his newly announced running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. Days ago, Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania. Just...
RNC, Trump campaign sue to close some Michigan voter registration sites
LANSING, Mich — The Republican National Committee (RNC), Donald Trump's presidential campaign and others are seeking to close some voter registration sites in Michigan per a federal lawsuit filed this week. The case claims that state officials overstepped their authority when they allowed Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospitals and U.S....
List of Muskegon County millage proposals for August election
MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. — Michiganders will head to the polls in August for a primary election. In Muskegon County, voters will decide on races either in the Republican or Democratic primary election. Ballots will include primary races for various local, state and national positions. Voters may also find bond proposals, millages or local proposals on their ballots.
These are the roads closed in Kalamazoo after heavy rain
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Heavy rain slammed into Kalamazoo for a second night, causing flooding and debris to close a multitude of roads. Thunderstorms progressed through West Michigan from west to east, arriving at the lakeshore around 9 p.m. Kalamazoo was one of the counties under the threat of a tornado, but only received a downpour instead.
OPIOID SETTLEMENT | Advisor questions Michigan’s transparency over spending of opioid settlement funds
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — The leader of the Opioid Advisory Commission, a group tasked with advising state lawmakers on spending of opioid settlement funds, says they can’t get ahold of data, funding or officials. Dr. Cara Poland, an addiction medicine specialist in Grand Rapids, says the OAC is...
Beloved Kent County ice cream shop celebrates 25 years
ALTO, Mich. — The next time you're driving on I-96 near Lowell, take the Alden Nash Avenue exit and head south. On the side of the road, nestled amongst the corn fields, you can't miss a bright red 1980 B&O caboose. Inside that 34-ton train car is a business called the Ice Cream Caboose, and it's celebrating a milestone.
Storms flood busy Grand Rapids intersection, leaving cars stuck
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The intersection of 28th Street and Division is no stranger to floods, but Sunday night into early Monday morning, heavy rain left some unlucky cars stuck in rainwater that nearly covered their cars. It’s an issue the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is all too...
Hundreds of electric lineworkers mobilized ahead of storms, Consumers Energy says
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Consumers Energy is preparing for possible power outages tonight and Tuesday morning as a round of severe weather is possible. The Michigan utility company said they are mobilizing hundreds of electric lineworkers ahead of the storms. Consumers says that they also had crews staged Sunday...
Gerald R. Ford survived 2 assassination attempts almost 50 years before Donald Trump's
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — In the wake of an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, Dr. Mirelle Luecke, a historian and curator at the Gerald R Ford Presidential Library and Museum, described to 13 ON YOUR SIDE the public's opinion following the days after former President Ford survived two assassination attempts.
What is the Ready by Five millage on the ballot for Kent County voters?
KENT COUNTY, Mich. — This August, voters in Kent County will be asked if they support a millage designed to fund early childhood development programs in the county for the next six years. In 2018, when the original six-year Ready by Five millage was passed, it became the first...
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