Local search for Grand Rapids places

1+ min ago (724+ words) CARO, MI " The day before Thanksgiving 2024, a Vassar policer office tried intervening as a husband attacked and threatened to kill his wife in a pole barn. The assailant responded by trying to kill the officer by shooting at him, though his shots did not result in bloodshed. The gunman is now heading to prison for up to a quarter century. Tuscola County Circuit Judge Amy Grace Gierhart on Tuesday, Dec. 2, sentenced 39-year-old Michael S. Fall to four concurrent terms, the longest being 15 to 25 years. She gave Fall credit for 369 days already served. According to police reports obtained by MLive via the Freedom of Information Act, a Vassar police officer around 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 27, 2024, responded to a residence in the 8100 block of Irish Road in Millington Township after a person there called 911. The caller alleged Fall and his wife were arguing in a…...

2+ hour, 16+ min ago (283+ words) LANSING, MI " The state of Michigan has awarded $2.9 million to eight local projects designed to reduce polluted runoff. On Nov. 20, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) announced nonpoint source program grants for work to reduce bacteria, nutrients and sediment washing into waterways. The grants, a mix of state and federal funds, target watersheds struggling with failing septic systems and agricultural runoff. In northern Michigan, the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council received $45,356, the Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay received $614,993, the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy received $415,673 and the Chippewa Luce Mackinac Conservation District received $500,000. In the Thornapple River Watershed, grants will fund outreach to homeowners, technical assistance and funding for the repair and replacement of failing septic systems. In the Grand Traverse Bay Watershed, an undersized railroad-stream crossing will be restored with proper stream dimensions and…...

6+ hour, 54+ min ago (740+ words) December 2, 2025 / 1:52 PM EST / AP Despite efforts in recent years to gain clarity, the roughly 110-mile state line between Michigan and Indiana remains blurry as ever. The last official survey of the dividing line between Michiganders and Hoosiers was conducted in 1827, and wooden markers placed by federal surveyors at that time have largely rotted into the pastoral landscape. Some surveyors have estimated that the state line generally accepted by locals could be off by a few feet in some areas, creating potential areas of conflict. Unlike Michigan's border with Ohio " famously decided by the Toledo War " and the border dispute with Wisconsin that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, no one has ever bothered to contest the dividing line between Michigan and Indiana. But especially for residents living on or near the border, an official state line would provide…...

7+ hour, 3+ min ago (106+ words) An accident involving a semi truck on SB US-131 at I-196 caused a diesel fuel spill on the highway. Lanes were closed while crews worked on the cleanup. Crash and fuel spill on SB US-131 in Grand Rapids causes backups GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. " Grand Rapids Firefighters responded to a crash involving a semi truck on SB US-131 and I-196 around noon on Tuesday. Lanes were closed while crews dealt with a diesel fuel leak on the freeway. One person was trapped inside a vehicle, but they were extracted and taken to the hospital. No other information was shared about their condition....

10+ hour, 8+ min ago (1000+ words) Pat Fitzgerald was a part of Northwestern's football program for 26 years, first as an All-America linebacker, then as an assistant to coach Randy Walker and finally as head coach for 17 seasons. On Tuesday, he stepped in front of reporters in East Lansing, Mich., wearing a suit with a green-and-white-striped tie and concluded his opening statement by pumping his fist, smiling and uttering, "Go Green." Two and a half years after Northwestern fired Fitzgerald amid a hazing scandal in Evanston, he officially was back in the Big Ten as Michigan State's coach. The Spartans signed Fitzgerald to a five-year contract to replace Jonathan Smith, whom they fired after two seasons and a 9-15 record. After flying in Tuesday morning, Fitzgerald promised during his on-campus introduction to bring to Michigan State a coaching philosophy "centered around being the best player development program in…...

10+ hour, 46+ min ago (733+ words) Former longtime Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald has been named as Michigan State's new football coach, a little more than 24 hours after Jonathan Smith was fired. Terms of the deal were not released on Monday, Dec. 1, but multiple reports indicate Fitzgerald agreed to a five-year contract. The breakdown of MSU's newest hire is one of five "must-read" stories from MLive for Tuesday, Dec. 2. Fitzgerald, an Illinois native and former All-American linebacker at Northwestern who led the team to a Big Ten title in 1995, gives the Spartans an experienced coach who knows the conference and has deep roots in the Midwest. One of his greatest strengths is that he embodies Michigan State's foundational principles of defense and toughness. He achieved notable success at Northwestern, leading the team to 10 bowl games and two Big Ten championship appearances. He's also known as a strong…...

11+ hour, 51+ min ago (60+ words) After sitting empty for five years, the former UICA building in downtown Grand Rapids is set to get new life Thursday as it reopens as Bamboo Cowork. (Dec. 2, 2025) ... After sitting empty for five years, the former UICA building in downtown Grand Rapids is set to get new life Thursday as it reopens as Bamboo Cowork. (Dec. 2, 2025)...

16+ hour, 44+ min ago (486+ words) GRAND RAPIDS, MI " More than 100 people will keep their jobs after Safari Circuits, a tribally owned electronics firm, purchased LACROIX Electronics" Grand Rapids manufacturing plant, which had been slated to close at the end of the year. "We"re thrilled to acquire this production facility and provide a new and brighter future for the 116 people at the plant who were slated to lose their jobs," said Craig Nelson, President of Safari Circuits. "The similar production work performed at both plants made this a logical move that should lead to an increase in customer orders for both operations." The new facility will be called Safari Grand Rapids. The terms of the deal, completed in September, were not disclosed. Safari Circuits, based in Otsego, is a subsidiary of Waseyabek, the non-gaming economic development arm of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi....

19+ hour, 49+ min ago (1562+ words) GRAND RAPIDS, MI " A prominent West Michigan apartment developer is challenging a regional study that calls for 33,914 new housing units by 2029, saying the figure "is not based on history, facts or common sense." Dan Hibma, the owner of Land and Company Apartments, said demand for that many units doesn't align with projected population growth, and that there's currently a 6% vacancy rate in the local rental market. "We don't need 33,914 units," Hibma wrote in a Nov. 21 letter to the Grand Rapids City Commission. Hibma, whose company owns 16 apartment communities in West Michigan, also challenged the use of tax subsidies to promote new housing, and said demand for new housing could be partly met by renovating older units. The author of the 2025 Housing Needs Assessment, Patrick Bowen, said renovations could be part of the solution. Here's a look at the concerns Hibma…...

21+ hour, 31+ min ago (562+ words) EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. " East Grand Rapids City Commissioners approved new poverty-exemption guidelines Nov. 25, doubling the income thresholds and significantly increasing asset limits for residents seeking property tax relief. The changes raise the income level to twice the federal poverty guidelines. For a single-person household, the threshold increased from $15,060 to $30,120. Four-person households now qualify with incomes up to $62,400, compared to the previous limit of $31,200. "So our City Commission decided to increase that two times the federal minimum," said Stacey Hayes, East Grand Rapids assessor. The United States Department of Health and Human Services releases federal minimum income guidelines each year that all jurisdictions are required to minimally meet, though they can set higher thresholds. The city also raised the asset cap from $6,000 to $40,000 per household, though the new policy excludes primary residences, first vehicles, and jewelry, artwork and antiques from…...