This fall, Kid Rock will embark on a nationwide club tour, foregoing massive arenas for intimate theaters and venues. And, as usual, the American Badass will hit the road wearing ... Continue reading →

HOLLAND, MI – If one of the four cars entered by Andretti Autosport wins the Indianapolis 500 wins on Sunday, a Holland storage and organization company hopes to share in the glory. ORG, a division of The Stow Company based in Holland, is the official garage outfitter for Andretti Autosport in the famed Gasoline Alley at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Of the four Andretti Autosport drivers competing in Sunday’s classic race, three are starting in the top four positions. "We are thrilled to support the Andretti Autosport team by supplying them with solutions for their hard-working garages," said Bill Lown, Stow’s vice president of corporate sales. "We want to do all we can to make the Andretti Autosport garages look their very best while equipping ... Continue reading →

This fall, Kid Rock will embark on a nationwide club tour, foregoing massive arenas for intimate theaters and venues. And, as usual, the American Badass will hit the road wearing ... Continue reading →

AP PhotoBirth control pills have been available for women for 50 years. Scottish researchers who identified a gene essential to the production of healthy sperm say the breakthrough could ultimately lead to the development of a male contraceptive. The researchers at the University of Edinburgh say they determined a gene called Katnal1 was key to the development and maturation of sperm. "If we can find a way to target this gene in the testes, we could potentially develop a non-hormonal contraceptive,” Lee Smith, one of the authors of the study published in PLoS Genetics, said in a report by the BBC. "The important thing is that the effects of such a drug would be reversible because Katnal1 only affects sperm cells in the later stages ... Continue reading →

Photo by Jonathan Roberts, courtesy of Louisville Presbyterian Theological SeminaryGrand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell gives the commencement address last Sunday at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Mayor George Heartwell, who was chided by MLive readers for calling Planned Parenthood opponents “forces of darkness” earlier this month, delivered the commencement address last Sunday at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The ordained minister who got a master of divinity degree from Western Theological Seminary in Holland spoke at a Kentucky church about “Faith for a Sustainable Planet.” Heartwell “emphasized that God’s communication, revelation, blessing, and mercy are expressed in nature, and that humanity is called to be earth keepers who pay attention and respond with gratitude and praise,” according to a news release from the ... Continue reading →

Monica Scott | MLive.comThe Zeeland school board before they went into a closed meeting Thursday night.MLive File PhotoZeeland Superintendent Dave Barry ZEELAND, MI – Superintendent Dave Barry admitted he had committed plagiarism more than once at the district, but the school board decided those actions will not cost him his job. The board met Thursday following news this month Barry for plagiarized the work of education blogger, Mike Rutherford, in an employee newsletter. Despite calls for his firing by some parents, the board opted to keep him at the helm, voting 6-1 on three actions, including a two-week suspension without pay. Neither the board nor Barry elaborated on the other instance of plagiarism, allowing written statements to be their final comment on the matter. Carol ... Continue reading →

FENNVILLE, MI — The commencement ceremony for the Fennville High School graduating class of 2012 was typical in most ways. There was cheering. Lots of photos were taken. Camera-toting parents jockeyed for position. Inspirational music was played and young children in the audience had a hard time sitting still for very long. But the joyful ceremony was marked by several small, sobering reminders of the student and friend to many of the graduating seniors who was not there on Thursday. “I think this was a closure for all of us,” said Valaria Almanza, senior class president and first to address the assembled crowd in Morehead Gymnasium — the same room where 16-year-old Wes Leonard collapsed on the basketball court on March 3, 2011. ”We’re always ... Continue reading →

This fall, Kid Rock will embark on a nationwide club tour, foregoing massive arenas for intimate theaters and venues. And, as usual, the American Badass will hit the road wearing ... Continue reading →

John Oren Waters, (top left), an attorney in Grand Rapids, is charged with smuggling drugs into the Antrim County jail. Waters was charged alongside three other men amid a wide-ranging drug probe. Also pictured: Shaun Roggenbeck of Elmira (top right), Jason Blackmore of Mancelona (bottom right) and Wallace Bigger of Gaylord (bottom left). BELLAIRE, MI — A Grand Rapids attorney is facing felony drug delivery charges in northern Michigan after being ensnared in a wide-ranging criminal drug probe that involves children of current and former Antrim County officials. John Oren Waters, 43, is charged with smuggling the drug Suboxone into the Antrim Country jail for a client who was locked-up last summer amid a drug investigation that began in 2009, according to county prosecutors. Waters ... Continue reading →

This fall, Kid Rock will embark on a nationwide club tour, foregoing massive arenas for intimate theaters and venues. And, as usual, the American Badass will hit the road wearing ... Continue reading →

HOLLAND, MI — Police are alleging an unknown arsonist attempted to blow up a Black River Public School bus early Wednesday morning by placing a makeshift wick in the bus gas tank. Holland police are investigating the attempted arson after finding a rag in the fuel door of a bus parked across the street from the school at 491 Columbia Ave. The incident took place around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, police said. Authorities were contacted by school officials who found the rag, which was partially burned in the area where the fuel tank cap is located. The burnt rag did not ignite the fuel or fumes in the gas tank, police said. They are reviewing surveillance video from the school but have no suspect information available ... Continue reading →

This fall, Kid Rock will embark on a nationwide club tour, foregoing massive arenas for intimate theaters and venues. And, as usual, the American Badass will hit the road wearing ... Continue reading →

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The Fulton Street Farmers Market, which is undergoing a $2.7 million renovation and earlier this month opened its 90th season with a new covered vending shed, will add Wednesday evening hours. Starting June 6 and continuing through September, the market at 1147 E. Fulton St. will open 4-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Normal operating hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. “We’re hoping that this market will attract a new customer base of people who don't want to fight the crowds on a Saturday, but due to a job or other reasons, cannot make it to the market on the weekdays,” market manager Melissa Harrington said in a statement. The market during its Wednesday evening hours also plans ... Continue reading →

This fall, Kid Rock will embark on a nationwide club tour, foregoing massive arenas for intimate theaters and venues. And, as usual, the American Badass will hit the road wearing ... Continue reading →

Courtesy rendering GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Robinette’s Apple Haus and Winery is celebrating its 100th anniversary at noon today with free wine-tasting and refreshments to celebrate its designation as a Michigan Centennial Farm. The event at 3142 Four Mile Road NE also will celebrate five medals Robinette’s recently won at the 6th Annual Great Lakes Cider & Perry Competition, sponsored by the Great Lakes Cider & Perry Association. At the competition, Robinette’s Barzilla’s Brew Hard Cider received a bronze medal. The Apple-Cherry Mead received a silver medal, the Ginger Cinnamon Centennial Hard Cider received a bronze medal, the Apple Dessert Wine received a silver medal, and the Apple Wine received a bronze medal. This competition includes categories for both commercial producers and non-commercial producers. With ... Continue reading →