Jill Anderson is the new Rotary Club of Battle Creek President, a post her father once held. “It’s a very different club than it used to be," says Anderson. "There’s that whole notion that Rotary is male, pale, and stale, but it’s really changing."
Eggs, bacon, pancakes, and companionship. When free breakfast is served at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Battle Creek during the summer, people come for more than just the food. Those who work or volunteer there, like Kitchen Manager Roy Hllman, do it for joy.
In the world of news, our publication is part of a slow news movement. We’re your Second Wave, offering long-form, in-depth articles that are rare in today’s local news. Occasionally, we'll round up a few items that pass our desk as a 'first wave' that might not make it into a longer story. Jane Parikh shares a few Battle Creek first-wave stories here.
Did you know there is a Zen Buddhist monastery and affiliated wellness center in Battle Creek? Karma House Wellness Center and the Buddhist Temple Monastery are quietly doing their part to support the community by offering trauma-informed yoga, mindfulness classes, and sliding-scale therapy through Senshu, LLC.
Over 15,000 Calhoun County residents are living above the poverty line but below the "survival income" line, an area known as the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) threshold. "It's real people and so many people," says Alyssa Stewart of UWSCM. "Tens of thousands. . .are carrying an invisible weight and saying, 'I'm on the razor's edge.'"
In her grief, one Battle Creek woman seeks to support others whose loved ones have also been victims of gun violence. A life-taking bullet creates a hole that makes emotional closure difficult. HEARTS is there to help share and ease the pain.
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.
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.
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.
The West Michigan African American Tech Readiness Collaborative is a group of 30 organizations seeking to increase African American representation in high-paying tech jobs, many of which don't require a four-year degree. Ida Byrd-Hill, CEO of Automation Works and initiative founder, says she believes West Michigan could become a major tech innovation hub.
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