Banking, retail, and office center will reuse prominent spot near Kalamazoo’s Woods Lake
Woods Lake Square will be anchored by a new branch of Consumers Credit Union, which owns the 1-acre property at the northwest corner of Oakland and Parkview.
Al Jones's Latest Articles
Black Wall Street Kalamazoo looks to build generational wealth in the African-American community
Nicole R. Triplett founded Black Wall Street Kalamazoo in 2018 to build wealth in the Black community by keeping money circulating longer in the Black community.
Shipping woes waylay plans for a pod community for Kalamazoo’s homeless
"We recognize the Kzoo POD Community: A Place of Dignity can't become a reality this winter,” says Michelle Davis, executive director of Housing Resources Inc. She says HRI remains energized and committed to the project.
Creative leadership was already at the table when the Edison Neighborhood Association went looking
“I started to talk about what I really wanted to see happen,” says board member Stephen Dupuie, “and then the board members one by one kept tapping me on the shoulder and saying, ‘I think that you should do it. We really like your ideas.’” He's the new Executive Director of the Edison Neighborhood Association.
New president of the Milwood Neighborhood Watch steps up and hopes others will do the same
More activities for young people, ongoing efforts to keep the neighborhood safe, and more volunteer support for programs that benefit neighborhood residents are what the interim president of the Milwood Neighborhood Watch Association has in mind.
Kalamazoo Gospel Mission’s new shelter for women and children nears completion in downtown Kalamazoo
The COVID delayed renovations to the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission could be done by the end of February. The number of emergency shelter spaces will grow from 150 to 210. The number of guests the mission will be able to see for long-term case management services will grow from 755 to 1,225. And the new three-story, 47,000-square-foot facility will feature rooms that accommodate family units.
A tasty tradition is turning into a legacy business for an enterprising Kalamazoo woman
Leaving the family with a legacy of success was something David Smith talked about a lot during the months before he died at age 88. His daughter Doreen Smith has found a sweet way to maintain that legacy. Peanut Brittle.
More small businesses will move to the front burner as Can-Do Kitchen becomes Can-Do Kalamazoo
The Can-Do Kitchen, which has long focused on mentoring, supporting, and providing working space for new food-based businesses, is in the process of expanding to help entrepreneurs of all kinds. It is re-branding to become Can-Do Kalamazoo.
Larry Bell raises a glass to young people with a $1M gift to Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kalamazoo
The Boy & Girls Clubs of Greater Kalamazoo is more than halfway to its $9 million goal for the construction of a 30,000-square-foot central headquarter in the Edison neighborhood. That goal is closer to being realized thanks to a $1 million donation from craft brew entrepreneur Larry Bell.
Vaccination, masks, and distancing remain keys to fighting COVID-19, Kalamazoo’s medical leaders say
As the fight against COVID-19 continues, the development of a vaccine has been viewed as an intervention and a possible sign of relief. But many people continue to go unvaccinated and unmasked and sickness continues to spread. Medical community leaders in Kalamazoo are asking people to help stop it.
