Community mental health and child welfare collaborate to care for Michigan’s vulnerable children
Michigan’s community mental health (CMH) agencies are the lead in providing mental health care for children in the child welfare system.
‘Rock star’ classical pianists to perform at Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra’s season finale
“It’s quite a coup that we were able to bring (Anderson & Roe) here,” says BCSO Director Anne Harrigan of the well-known piano duo. "The way they play and interact with each other is something you don’t see every day.”
Hands Off! demonstration in Kalamazoo drew nearly 4,000
Close to 4,000 people lined South Westnedge Avenue in Portage to participate in the Hands Off! Kalamazoo rally, one of over 1,400 protests that took place Saturday throughout all 50 states.
Hands Off! protest in Battle Creek was an all-hands-on-deck moment
On the Ground Project Editor Jane Parikh and OTG Photographer John Grap headed out this past Saturday to find out why people were participating in the Hands Off! Rally in Battle Creek. See also the video interviews that demonstrate the wide variety of reasons people chose to protest.
Voices of Youth: Queer representation in media and its impacts
“When I was coming out in 2018, I felt safe to do so within my friend group partly because of the media we were consuming, which was slowly including more queer characters, and the conversation about queer actors and artists became much more public."
Michigan’s hospitals and improved pediatric behavioral health care
The Michigan Health and Hospital Association addresses pediatric behavioral health care with data, advocacy, and grant funding of member hospital programs.
Vintage vendors “crash” campus for market event
The local organization Vintage in the Zoo is holding a vintage "crash market" at WMU’s student center Monday, April 7.
Village Network leads work to create a Black Wall Street in Battle Creek
Plans for launching a Black Wall Street movement in Battle Creek will include a Black-owned business directory and two new websites with a mission to create "collective independence."
Housing in the time of DOGE: Where do we go from here?
There are complicated politics and attitudes aimed at efforts to provide affordable housing. In a recent public discussion, Kalamazoo County Housing Director Mary Balkema detailed the projects underway and outlined the barriers to getting housing up as fast as some community members would like, including the current climate of uncertainty regarding funding.
Battle Creek Pride hosts informational workshop in wake of efforts to overturn same-sex marriage
"I want to prepare people for these possible outcomes while keeping them present, focused, and together in community. There are so many moles to whack in this horrible game we’re playing.”
