One-ways to two-ways. Bike lanes. Slowed traffic. Taming of stroads (streets acting like roads). Change can be messy, but one local group hopes it's just a few bumps on the road to Kalamazoo becoming a Strong Town.
The City of Kalamazoo wants to see if it can get more landlords to accept tenants whose rent is subsidized by federal housing vouchers with a pilot program to help landlords pay for the renovations needed to meet the standards that come with accepting rent in this manner. This is a story Mark Wedel has been working on since 2022.
A formerly littered path along Portage Creek in Edison is transforming into Literacy Trail and a street near a former dumping ground will become a closed-off playstreet called Literacy Lane — thanks to the Kalamazoo Literacy Council, Edison Resident Scholars, the City of Kalamazoo, and other partners.
The future can be intimidating for a person in their early 20s, but for Blaise Boulding it's off to a secure start. With help from a program that assists people to get ready to be a homeowner she now has her own small house in Portage.
Since its inception, MRC Industries, a nonprofit that serves people with developmental or intellectual disabilities in Kalamazoo County, has paid its workers a subminimum wage. But no longer. MRC dropped its 14(c) certification in September.
Dignity in Motion was formed when Judy Lowery realized that people who are unhoused not only need shelter, they need transportation. Its waiting list is now at 27 people requesting bikes. The demand is year-round — last winter, they gave away about 30 bikes.
What's new on the Kalamazoo substance use scene and what recent advances are there in treatment? Mark Wedel gets the latest from Chis Slater, Community Healing Centers CEO, in preparation for the Coming Together Conference Oct. 24-25.
While Kalamazoo's gun assaults are down, gun deaths, especially among youth, have risen. The Kalamazoo Community Foundation, in partnership with the City and many others, is launching Blueprint for Peace, a program that addresses systemic factors that drive gun violence to create a framework for prevention, intervention, and healing.
Caffé Casa's interior hasn't changed much over three decades (yes, the piano is still there), but the mall itself has undergone many iterations. Grab a cuppa and read Mark Wedel's leisurely chat with co-owner Kathy Beebe — preferably at the Caffé, where you can watch Kalamazoo pass by.
Why Canadiana Fest? We're neighbors, first of all. But there's so much more to our sibling country, which is why Channon Mondoux, chef, SW Second Wave writer, and event organizer, threw her tuque in the Kalamazoo festival ring and went big.
Our Sponsors
Our Media Partners
