A view of downtown Grand Rapids from a distance /Tiffany Szakal
K9 Atos on his last day /Grand Rapids Police Department
GRPD Says Goodbye to One of its K-9 Officers and Welcomes Another
On June 1, the Grand Rapids Police Department announced that one of its police canines, Atos, has retired. According to a press release, K9 Atos has dedicated eight years of service to the GRPD and has used his experience in bomb detection and patrolling to conduct numerous sweeps of local venues ahead of concerts, shows, and even visits from presidential candiates. Sgt. Jeff Dionne, Atos's human partner, and his family will look after him in his retirement. "We are looking forward to having Atos as a family pet and relaxing his training and feeding requirements," Sgt. Dionne stated. "We plan on giving him lots of treats."
The newest addition to the GRPD K-9 Unit is Rip, an 18-month-old Belgian Malinois. K9 Rip officially "began his watch" with the GRPD on May 29 and has been partnered with Officer Jake Newton.
Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. Announces its Lineup for the 2022 "Relax at Rosa" Season
Relax at Rosa is an annual "free lunchtime entertainment series" hosted by Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. It features food trucks, live music, and outdoor entertainment on every Thursday from noon to 1:30pm in Rosa Parks Circle. This year, the Relax at Rosa season will start on June 30 and continue through September 8. The music lineup can be found below:
- June 30: Chirp
- July 7: Crane Wives Duo
- July 14: Molly
- July 21: La Furia Del Ritmo
- July 28: Lipstick Jodi
- August 4: Cabildo
- August 11: James Reeser & The Backseat Drivers
- August 18: Max Lockwood & the Eric O'Daly Band
- August 25: Origami Button
- September 1: Desmond Jones
- September 8: The Hacky Turtles
Also in the News:
- The Grand Rapids Pride Festival will be held in Calder Plaza (in downtown Grand Rapids) on Saturday, June 18 from 12:00pm to 10:00pm.
- Public pools and splash pads will open to the public on Friday, June 10 and will stay open until Saturday, August 20.
- A new kayak/canoe launch, called the EZ Launch, has opened at Riverside Park.
Sharing Your Stories
The Rapidian encourages local residents to share their own stories related to civic, economic, and public health developments in the Grand Rapids area on The Rapidian’s platform. To get started as a community reporter, visit TheRapidian.org/write.
The Rapidian, a program of the 501(c)3 nonprofit Community Media Center, relies on the community’s support to help cover the cost of training reporters and publishing content.
We need your help.
If each of our readers and content creators who values this community platform help support its creation and maintenance, The Rapidian can continue to educate and facilitate a conversation around issues for years to come.
Please support The Rapidian and make a contribution today.