Author

Al Jones

Al Jones

Al Jones is a freelance writer who has worked for many years as a reporter, editor, and columnist. He is the Project Editor for On the Ground Kalamazoo.

Al Jones's Latest Articles

2,000 down, 8,000 to go the City of Kalamazoo says of replacing lead water service lines

The City of Kalamazoo has had a program since 1992 to rid its water system of lead service lines. Work on the project accelerated in 2017 and in the spring of 2022 will be moving on to what it calls the North Kalamazoo effort. Two informational meetings on the work are set for April for community members to learn more about what is planned.

Being small enough to pivot has helped this Kalamazoo bistro survive the COVID-19 slowdown

A shift from sit-down dining to takeout in family portions and curbside pick-up, plus the support of Kalamazoo diners from across the city, have helped Comensol's keep the lights on.

New Creamery apartments in Kalamazoo’s Edison Neighborhood shows the issues of affordable housing

Everyone wants more affordable housing but these days it’s not that easy to build, a Kalamazoo developer who put together The Creamery project in the Edison neighborhood says.

Apartment and commercial development hopes to open by fall in Kalamazoo’s Stuart Neighborhood

Residents of the Stuart Neighborhood have said they want more business within walking distance and it is coming with the Westgate Commons development going up at 615 W. Kalamazoo Ave. 

City of Kalamazoo looks to put the brakes on mobile nuisance parties

Do you have an idea on how to deal with the parties in cars tearing through Kalamazoo neighborhoods? The city wants to hear from you.

So what happens now for the homeless? Continuum of Care seeks community-wide and long-term solutions

To make a lasting difference for those without homes in Kalamazoo County will take a communitywide effort, say those who work every day to end homelessness.

Well-traveled artist and inventor calls Kalamazoo’s Stuart Neighborhood home — once again

Stuart neighborhood resident Colleen Woolpert's artistic interest has always been tied to understanding the differences in how people perceive things. And the manner of artistic expression -- TwinScope Viewer, a hand-held device that she invented is used to see stereograph images in public exhibits at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., and beyond.

Outdoor family fun is at hand, care of the City of Kalamazoo Parks and Recreation

The City of Kalamazoo's Winter Family Scavenger Hunt is intended to provide ongoing fun opportunities to get outside and get around town in a way that keeps people who are already family members socially distanced from others, and healthy.

New funding meets ongoing enthusiasm as the Eastside Sunrise Plaza takes shape

The $2.9 million Eastside Square project is focused primarily on the redevelopment of nine unused structures in the 1600 block of East Main. “The Land Bank is honored to be invited in to help support these community-defined and led efforts for this block,” says Kelly Clarke, of the Kalamazoo County Land Bank Authority.

Young couple is putting energy into historic home renovations in the Stuart Neighborhood

In the Stuart Neighborhood, there are lots of houses that were built in the 1870s when the neighborhood was growing as an attractive community for businessmen and professionals. David and Emma Engerer are a young couple renovating them and renting them out.

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