Author

Jane Simons

Jane Simons's Latest Articles

Native American Heritage Fund grant awards go to six Michigan organizations

Since 2016, the Native American Heritage Fund has been providing information and funding to promote positive relationships between public and private K-12 schools, colleges, universities, local units of government, and Michigan’s federally recognized Native American Tribes. This year $482,000 in grants were awarded to foster those relationships.

Nine month old program in Calhoun County is changing lives of those experiencing domestic violence

“I had one gentleman tell me that people should go through this program before they get married and that if he had, it would have saved him a lot of heartache,” says Detective Josh Chapman with the Domestic Violence Intervention Court team in Calhoun County. Read on to find out how the program is working.

Building with lots of flexibility goes up to draw industrial, manufacturing tenants to Battle Creek

Battle Creek's location between Detroit and Chicago, its Foreign-Trade Zone, three rail providers, and 25 international companies are all reasons developers believe a new spec building will draw tenants.

With 18 COVID-19 deaths in Calhoun County in two weeks, officials warn of ‘unprecedented spread’

Eric Pessell, Health Officer with Calhoun County’s Health Department says this surge of cases is the highest they have seen. "The current number of hospitalizations is the highest yet," he says. "We need to figure out a way to head it back down."

Rehearsal Room to offer a place for musicians who have been displaced as COVID closes venues

The Rehearsal Room is a live concert series that’s going to give a virtual and online aspect so people can watch artists representing all types of genres brought to you by musicians who value all kinds of music from a recording space in downtown Battle Creek.

Lead abatement program assists Calhoun County residents free of charge for low-income residents

In Calhoun County, there are tens of thousands of homes built before 1978. And in the City of Battle Creek, 15,000 homes were built before 1978, the year lead-based paint was banned. Between 60 and 70 percent of them have lead-based paint. The Lead Safe Program provides lead-abatement to residents who qualify.

Kellogg Community College offers free tuition to essential workers as part of new state program

Futures for Frontliners was created to provide a tuition-free pathway to college or a technical certificate to essential workers who do not have a college degree, including those who lack a high school diploma. It is the first program of its kind in the United States.

Battle Creek City Commission votes to rename Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day

The City of Battle Creek not only adopted a resolution changing the name to Indigenous Peoples’ Day it also consulted with the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi regarding the move.

Mask up: Calhoun County sees steep spike in COVID-19 cases, highest since pandemic started

Over a seven day period, the number of COVID-19 cases in Calhoun County jumped an average of 30 cases each day. So far the number of those hospitalized has not risen.

Movement has more than one meaning for racial equity and social justice supporter from Battle Creek

Victoria Fox-Ramon has been working for social justice since she was a teenager. Now she's exploring lots of ways to achieve a more equitable world.

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