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Lucia Rios has been honored as the 2023 Media Person of the Year by the WMPRSA for her work as co-editor of the Disability Inclusion series. This multi-year series runs in The Lakeshore WM, Rapid Growth and Second Wave Southwest Michigan.
Hungerford Nichols accountant Megan Howe talks about navigating her personal and professional life with hearing loss.
In healing colors, five Michigan-based Latinx artists display their work at Commerce Pointe in Downtown Battle Creek until the end of July. “If you have something within you that you want to express I tell people to take it out of yourself and put it into art,” says Fausto Fernandez, a Battle Creek participating artist.
It's Pride Month, and in downtown Kalamazoo, flags are flying and crosswalks are rainbowed. Southwest Michigan Second Wave Writer Casey Grooten speaks to two LGBTQ+ allied business owners — one new and one that's been around for a decade — about their Kalamazoo Pride and concerns they share about a changing climate for LGBTQ+ folks.
A Battle Creek candlemaker got her start making gifts for far-flung relatives during the pandemic lockdown. Now she's launched Cereal City Candle Company and one of her most popular candles honors a certain locally-made fruity breakfast cereal.
With Kalamazoo's annual Pickleball Tournament just around the corner, Southwest Michigan Second Wave's Andy Robins takes a look at the current state of the country's fastest-growing recreational and competitive sport here in Kalamazoo County.
Have an idea and want to start a new business? As a Community Development Financial Institution, Northern Initiatives has been supporting Michigan startups with education, coaching, and needed financing — for 30 years. Check out these two success stories in Comstock and Battle Creek.
Five lives have been lost to gun violence in Kalamazoo just this year. On Monday, Moms Demand Action and supporters packed Bronson Park wearing orange to honor those who have been impacted. For June, which is Gun Violence Prevention Month, Urban Alliance is planning three Life Camps to help youth avoid gun violence, learn compassion, and understand "Hands are Meant to Heal, Not Kill."
While faith-based groups may disagree about the science of climate change, they typically agree on the importance of caring for creation. Using the approach of shared morality, Hope for Creation, an interfaith group, aims to "galvanize the faith community" to promote earth-friendly actions within a climate action framework, says organizer Joan Hawxhurst.
Following the Bearcat Advantage college scholarship announcement, Battle Creek Public School teachers were just as stunned as students. Then came the next great news: A $10,000 pay raise, bumping teacher salaries to the top in Southwest Michigan districts. "Having a district that sees every day the work that you do and appreciates that — I think that's huge," says Natasha Hager, Verona Elementary teacher.
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