Features

Feature Story Coleman firefighters in training

Volunteer Firefighters Seek To Grow Their Family

Local township fire departments facing a challenge recruiting volunteer firefighters.

Longform Melvin Henley

Growing Michigan Together Council addresses housing and other concerns across the state

Established by Governor Whitmer, the Growing Michigan Together Council works to develop a long-term plan of action to address many issues of concern across the state. Different goals include jobs, talent, and people; infrastructure and places; PreK-12 and higher education, and revenue. Block by Block spoke with the Executive Director of the Growing Michigan Together Council and Michigan’s first Chief Growth Officer Hilary Doe, and Melvin Henley at Community Economic Development Association of Michigan to hear about the council’s report.   

Partner Content The conference will include four break-out sessions offering a choice among 15 different topics.
Longform Dr. Kelsey Sala-Hamrick is the Michigan Public Health Institute's MI ACE project director.

200-partner collaborative raises awareness about impact of adverse childhood experiences in Michigan

Partners in the Michigan ACE Initiative are working to raise awareness of the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), prevent ACEs, and foster resilience among children who have experienced them. 

Development News Miriam Andrus is the director of the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library.

Profile Q&A with library director, Miriam Andrus

Miriam Andrus is the director of the Grace. A. Dow Memorial Library in Midland. In our Profile Q & A, we learn how our library offers a lot more than books.

Development News Erica Sprague is in her 20th year of teaching.

Catalyst Community: Restorative Practices in Schools

In the latest in a series of columns from different perspectives in the community, Catalyst shares some thoughts from a teacher on the behavior of students and what are called restorative practices in schools.  

Development News Sap collection at the Chippewa Nature Center

Sweeten your weekend with Chippewa Nature Center’s Maple Syrup Day

The Chippewa Nature Center’s Maple Syrup Day invites the community for a sweet day of education and entertainment. The annual event takes place on Saturday, March 16 with a pancake breakfast, family activities, maple syrup demos, tours, and scavenger hunts. 

Longform MDHHS staff early 20th century.

State of Michigan public health celebrates 150 years of service to Michiganders

The State of Michigan’s public health system recently celebrated its sesquicentennial: 150 years in service to Michiganders. To mark the occasion, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has shared a nice collection of sesquicentennial information on its website.   

Development News Midland Mall Comic Con takes place Sat-Sun, March 2 & 3.

Comic Con brings Ghostbusters themed event to Midland Mall for 2024 festival

The 2024 Midland Mall Comic Con returns March 2-3 with artists, authors, comics, toys, collectibles, contests, video game tournaments, food, and more.

Feature Story Firefighter on the job for the City of Midland.

City of Midland Firefighters look to find new recruits

They put their lives on the line every day on the job. The question is who will fill these challenging jobs in the future? 

Longform Child at NEST Child Care and Parent Institute in Detroit

Michigan makes the leap to improved educational opportunities with MiLEAP

MiLEAP consolidates the expansion of Pre-K for All, Sixty by 30, which would see 60% of working-age Michiganders with a postsecondary degree or certificate by 2030, and all education in between. 

Feature Story virtual job fair image

Virtual Job Fair represents 40+ employers seeking behavioral health services professionals

The Community Mental Health Association of Michigan (CMHA) is sponsoring a Behavioral Health Services Virtual Job Fair 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday Feb. 21, 2024. 

Development News "Build Like A Girl" will be held on Tues, Feb. 27.

Event encourages young females to ‘build like a girl’ with hands-on activities in construction

The free ‘Build like a Girl’ workshop invites females in grades 5-12 to participate in hands-on exploration of the construction industry. The event, hosted by the Associated Builders & Contractors Greater Michigan Chapter, is on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at The Great Hall in Midland

Development News Jordan Dice is the owner of the Midland Mall.

Midland Mall continues to see improvements through maintenance and fresh retailers

Profile Q & A with new owner of Midland Mall working to breath new life into the mall as retail stores close across the country.

In The News Health & Human Services Council logo

Is our community healthy?

Annual report released on the health of our community

Development News Sam Price is the President/CEO of the Ten16 Recovery Network.

Catalyst Community: Ten16 Recovery Network

In the latest in a series of columns from different perspectives in our community, Catalyst Midland presents Sam Price, President/CEO of the Ten16 Recovery Network.

Development News Housing Summit featured several speakers at SVSU.

If we build housing, economic development will come

Regional leaders gathered at SVSU to talk about the positive impact housing has on economic development. During the Housing Summit, they talked about successes in each area and exchanged ideas about public tools to help private developers.

Feature Story Front entrance of LaLonde's Market on the corner of N. Jefferson and E. Sugnet in Midland.

LaLonde’s Market provides Midland community with full-service meat market and much more

Owners Scott and Emily MacNellis put in long hours with hands-on involvement, helping make their family business a success

Partner Content The Grand Rapids location will expand AAoM’s  Upbound Staffing employment program.

Upbound Staffing creates inclusive connections for employers and job seekers

Upbound Staffing helps prepare job candidates living with autism for all parts of a career search and assists businesses in making their work environments more inclusive.

Feature Story Kids

What do breastfeeding, sanitation, vaccines, and lead paint have in common? Public health.

Q&A with Norm Hess, executive director of the Michigan Association for Local Public Health.