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Grand Rapids artist Derrick Hollowell’s big concept

Submitted 07-13-2011 under LOCAL LIFE

Derrick Hollowell spends a lot of time thinking. The 46-year-old artist, musician, and teacher has spent much of his life expressing himself through paintings and music, but words don’t escape Derrick, either. Articulate and soulful, Derrick...

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University students help seniors showcase life in twilight years

Submitted 07-12-2011 under LOCAL LIFE

Octogenarians and twenty-somethings. Tuxedos, feather boas, and Michael Bublé crooning. How do we live out our retirement years? If you’re a resident of Clark Retirement Community in Grand Rapids, it’s “Feelin’ Good.”...

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Grand Rapids community struggles to find peace, trying to find meaning in the Dantzler murders

Submitted 07-08-2011 under LOCAL LIFE

On July 7, Grand Rapids was shaken to the core with the murder of seven innocent people. While it may seem impossible to move forward after Rodrick  Dantzler brought the city to a standstill, most members of the community are hopeful. Ah-...

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Community healing: Words of gratitude and encouragement from Mayor Heartwell after the July 7th tragedy

Submitted 07-08-2011 under LOCAL LIFE

The events of yesterday have shaken our community to the roots and they test our will under fire.  What happened on the streets and in the neighborhoods of Grand Rapids is so uncharacteristic that it boggles the mind to even imagine it could...

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Local Political Spotlight: 21-year-old invests in change

Submitted 07-07-2011 under LOCAL LIFE

“I’m driving in my car talking to Obama. We got to pick his brain and he had to think about the question and give an honest answer without a script. I appreciated that.” Arielle Leipham recently joined forces with Organizing for...

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Grand Rapids area grade schoolers help prove how Native Americans made maple sugar

Submitted 06-23-2011 under LOCAL LIFE

Students of Blandford School and Goodwillie Environmental School helped a research team to figure out the historically accurate way that Native Americans may have made maple sugar from tree sap, and the findings may change the way that hundreds of...

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Second Coming: The Story of David Bixby - Part 1

Submitted 06-22-2011 under LOCAL LIFE

Part I: THE "CULT ALBUM" This is part one in a three-part series re-introducing folk musician Dave Bixby to the city that he left 40 years ago. He is performing this Friday at The Division Avenue Arts Collective (115 S. Division) in...

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From the garden: Harvesting your own hyper-local herbal apothecary

Submitted 06-13-2011 under LOCAL LIFE

For many, the term herbal apothecary evokes images of shelves, bottles and jars all filled with mysterious herbs and herbal formulas from exotic plants. But to have an herbal apothecary, plants need not be exotic or mysterious - in fact, as more and...

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Eat the Weeds: ReWilding the Spring Salad

Submitted 05-26-2011 under LOCAL LIFE

While it was a cool start to spring, the past two weeks of warm, wet weather have the plants around us springing from the earth. You may have taken particular notice if you are a lawn-mower -- the grass is growing tall and so are many of the lawn...

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Local children's book author leads 250-mile bike ride to Chicago

Submitted 05-18-2011 under LOCAL LIFE

With internet, television, smart phones and the numerous other electronic distractions, today’s youth are becoming more and more apathetic to the idea of enacting big ideas. Local children’s book author Sue Stauffacher set out on a five...

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