Focus West Michigan
Focus West Michigan for 6-28-24
[music] Today on Focus West Michigan, three smart homes are now available to low-income families and grand rapids. MDART has awarded 24 grants for land-based industries, Scott Vanderwerff and Eric Kuiper talk this weekend's new movies and more state and West Michigan news. For WGVU, I'm Joe Bolecki. Today is Friday, June 28, 2024. Focus West Michigan is brought to you by listeners like you to support this show and everything we do here, visit wgvunews.org and click the donate button. There are now three smart homes available to low-income families and grand rapids. As WGVU's Demarsson reports, the homes are a pilot project addressing the link between home and health. Three, two, one. With that, the ribbon was cut on three new homes on the 1,200 block of Euclid Avenue southeast and grand rapids, formerly vacant properties in the state land bank. The community rebuilders project showcases homes designed to provide affordable housing for low-income families linking health services right to the homes. Mayor Rosalind Bliss. "Not just housing that they can afford, but housing that meets their need. And housing that brings the resources and supports that they need right to them." Each unit has a smart pad connected to gather resources and align community efforts, or GRACE, which is a network of 24 organizations that handle referrals covering the family's needs from food to health care to literacy. "People aren't kind of just lost, like we made a referral, but we don't know how that turned out. So it gives us the data, it tells us what's needed in our community." Ana Diaz is the vice president of community rebuilders, the lead partner on the $800,000 project funded through the City of Grand Rapids and a grant from Wells Fargo. She hopes this pilot project grows to include more such homes across the city. "The majority of families, once they've stabilized, are able to work on long-term goals and can really thrive. You know, this is small in comparison to larger projects, but it's still a very impactful and meaningful project." I'm Dee Morrison. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development awarded 24 grants designed to promote the sustainability of land-based industries. WGVU's David Limbaugh spoke with one West Michigan business who's benefiting from the grant. River Ridge Produce Marketing Incorporated is an apple grower, shipper, and marketer headquartered in Sparta. The company was founded over 30 years ago by three partners who shared backgrounds in the Michigan produce and grocery industry. In 2017, River Ridge constructed a new facility and grant for producing and bottling siters. Now, thanks to a Rural Development Fund grant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, that facility has added a $100,000 expansion. Operations Manager Justin Finkler explains. "So we've put an addition on to our current cider plant for the cherry packings. We added a little over 12 nomenclature plants." The new facility, which just completed construction, will provide a home for Michigan growers to send their sweet cherries for distribution. "The new equipment that we're putting in here is new technology for great fresh market sweet cherries. We've got a lot of new production that we've planted on the cherry side, so it'll allow us to be able to compete with our western competitors as far as packing a high-grade and quality cherry." Thanks to the expansion, River Ridge expects to add jobs to their operation, as well as expand the hours for some of their current employees. I'm David Limbaugh. A Grand Rapids-based art and culture non-profit has announced its sixth annual free summer program for local students. WGVU's Jennifer Moss has more on what the diatribe has in store. The diatribe has three programs that will take place this summer in Grand Rapids and Muskegon. It's been facilitating poetry programs in Grand Rapids school since 2013, and now completes programs in at least 20 to 30 classrooms a year in Grand Rapids, Kentwood, and Muskegon public schools among others. The diatribe provides arts-related programs for mental health and wellness, social justice and unity in partnership with local charities, and organizations in West Michigan. Here's program director of education, Jay Len Tamenga. "We use spoken word poetry, so it really gives students a space, an opportunity, a means to be able to not only learn more about themselves, but learn how they are able to express themselves, and it does have a focus on mental health. We always say that spoken word poetry is not therapy, but it is therapeutic." Tamenga says two programs will take place July 29th through August 1st at Baxter Community Center in Grand Rapids. One entitled Pain, Peace, and Poetry is for 9th through 12th graders helping students learn how to process complex emotions. The other is lifted voices for students in grades 5-8. "And that will allow students to see the power in their words, and also to be able to hone in on their writing and speaking skills." There will also be a program held in Muskegon mid-July. Tamenga says anyone interested can visit their website at the diatribe.org. I'm Jennifer Moss. Muskegon County officials declared a state of emergency after severe storms ravaged the area earlier this week. WGVU's Demorison reports. "As severe storms tore through Muskegon County early Tuesday morning, wind speeds reached more than 70 miles an hour, bringing down trees, utility poles, and power lines across the county. Emergency dispatchers fielded more than 700 calls in the storm's first hour. Two people were injured by falling trees, and 3,700 residents were left without electricity. County Board of Commissioners Chairperson Charles T. Nash submitted a letter Thursday to state and federal agencies, explaining the storms resulted in widespread severe damage, injuries, or property damage throughout the county. Nash cited substantial damage to critical infrastructure, including electric systems, significant damage to property in multiple areas, and hazardous debris on roadways, which impacted emergency response." The declaration noted, "Local resources are being used to the fullest possible extent. County officials are now waiting for the governor to respond to the emergency declaration in hopes of securing more funds for recovery." I'm D. Morrison. More than a dozen people spoke at Western Michigan University's Board of Trustees meeting yesterday, urging the school to take a stance against Israel's actions in Palestine. Four members of Western's administration have been meeting with representatives from the W.M.U. Divestment Coalition that since the group erected and then removed its encampment on the campus in early May. The coalition wants the university to divest from arms manufacturers and companies with ties to Israel. The group says that a recent statement from President Edward Montgomery did not reflect its dialogue with the administration. Members of the group as well as the community spoke at the meeting. They included Kalamazoo City Commissioner Don Cooney. He urged Western to publicly call for a ceasefire. "There comes a time when silence is betrayal. We have reached that time. We ask you to act. The children of Gaza implore you to act." The Board also voted to raise in-state undergraduate tuition by four and a half percent and room and board by five percent. A new statewide initiative is urging Michiganders to notice and report suspicious activity to the police. The stop-a-plot campaign educates people on the behavior that typically precedes more serious crimes. The state is also launching a public service announcement video and a webpage for the effort. Michigan State Police Director Colonel James Grady says officers are being trained to account for a person's mental well-being when assessing suspicious activities. "We do provide training that covers mental awareness you know other factors such as autism but we're not subject matter experts and you know we try to work hand-in-hand with people that have the training and the education that can help." Grady says tips of suspicious activity can be submitted online at the Michigan State Police website. The ACLU of Michigan is suing to overturn a state ban on Medicaid coverage for abortion. The suit argues the ban violates proposal three which enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution in 2022 and disproportionately impacts black women who are more likely to receive Medicaid. Susan Rosas is the CEO of YWCA Kalamazoo, the plaintiff in the lawsuit. "The choice not to be apparent is irrelevant if obtaining an abortion is financially out of reach. By not covering abortion services Medicaid is ignoring the will of Michigan voters just as it's ignoring the autonomy of Michigan women." YWCA Kalamazoo has a reproductive health fund that's covered abortions for 150 Medicaid recipients, Rosas said. Both President Biden and former President Trump courted black voters in Michigan over the past few weeks and those voters' concerns rose again during last night's presidential debate. Biden said he's taking steps to help black Americans as well as other Americans worried about the high price of goods and services. "I said I don't plan if you're being disappointed inflation is still hurting them badly. For example I provided for the idea that any black family first-time homebuyer should get a $10,000 tax credit to be able to buy their first home so they can get started." For his part, Trump noted that surveys show support provided among black voters has declined. And if you want to know who Edgar is, tune in to the next Alt Latino because it will blow your mind the name behind the biggest songs out there on the next Alt Latino right here on your favorite NPR station. "Don't miss it." Ciao. Saturday Evening at 7 here on WGVU 88 5 95 3 and the WGVU app. A Quiet Place, Day One, opens in theaters, a prequel to the John Krasinski-written indirected sci-fi horror films, and the Kevin Costner Western Horizon in American Saga also is in theaters, along with the limited release Daddy O starring Sean Penn and Dakota Fanning. WGVU Scott Vanderwerff and Eric Kuiper from Studio C talk about those films and what's coming next week in theaters. And that's A Quiet Place, Day One, which is a prequel to the original Quiet Place and its sequel, and what are you hearing about this, Eric? Well, I heard just this morning that as the reviews are coming out, they are very strong. Last I looked, they were in the mid-upper 90s, so we'll see as the final weigh-ins come in here where it lands out, but from a critical response, it's really strong. Which is fun. I mean, I think when it comes to a movie like this, especially as you move on in these sequels and franchises, the question is, well, they're not, did they make a good movie, right? We already know the premise, so are they able to do anything new and truly interesting with it? I mean, the first one was such a great, I mean, it was just fun. I had never seen a movie like A Quiet Place before. Krasinski really created this unique universe where these alien creatures have invaded. You don't see it in the first movie. You don't see that creature until well into the film. And the whole idea behind it is if you make a sound, they can hear it, they can't see you, so as long as you're quiet, you're safe. But it's just the dropping of a pin is enough for them to hear it and attack. And the world has more or less been obliterated. So that was the first movie. Then there was kind of what happened after that. Now, they're looping back to the front of like, what was day one like when they invaded, whatever these aliens are, and this is taking place in Manhattan. And there are some kind of eerily similar images to when you think back to 9/11 and the ashes all over people and the destruction. And so it has a real impact visually, just even watching the trailer. But it sounds like they found a way to do something new again enough that critics are like, yeah, no, this is actually just a really great movie, not just a retread of an idea that we've already seen. I really find it interesting that John Krasinski, who came to fame in the office, and was an actor in comedy, conceived, had an original idea for a science fiction horror movie. Yeah. And I guess I don't know my Krasinski facts. Well, maybe that's what he grew up around and just has a great comedic sensibility. I mean, just not that many weeks ago, we were talking about if, which he wrote and directed, which was a family movie, you know, about imaginary friends and wanted to make something his youngest kid could go to, you know, without thinking twice. And a quiet place day one might not be that movie for, you know, the seven-year-olds out there. This is a very intense action movie. So yeah, I mean, the guy's got some pretty serious range. And then you think about, he also was doing, you know, the action, like, was he a reacher? Is that the TV show that he was in? I'm not sure. I'm not. I haven't followed that. Yeah. So I mean, he, but he's, he's done a lot of stuff. And, you know, most things he's touched have turned to gold as far as I can tell. Also, Kevin Kostner's big epic western horizon, an American saga. Part one. Oh, part one. Okay. And it's three hours and one minute long. Yeah, that's a long part. I say part one and especially because part two actually comes in August. Now he got a con film festival. He got a standing ovation from the audience, but then critically I've been hearing some negative reviews about it. Right. So that is going to be the interesting thing with this one, right? So obviously he has had tremendous success in the Yellowstone world. That was a big thing, right? Which was a western in and of its. And going back to dances with wolves. Yes, right. Exactly. And so, you know, he's lived in this space. And what's interesting when he was on stage in Vegas at CinemaCon now back in April and he was talking about this film and he let everybody know that his son is named after the main character of this movie, not the other way around. The main character is not named after a son. His son is named after the main character. And his son, I believe is in his late twenties or early thirties. So all that to say that he's been noodling this story, this character for, you know, for a long time. So this is where I wonder if there is this split between the critics and the audience. The audience may be in there and had a good time watching what is maybe a pretty classic American western and that there's an appetite for it as we've seen with Yellowstone in its many spin-offs. What I hear from the critics is this is an overly bloated vanity project, right? It's three plus hours long. There's another installment in August. There's more to come after that. I believe they envisioned it as a four part, you know, saga. So I don't mean, I don't know, I haven't seen it. I guess that's the question is, and this may be sort of the opposite of a quiet place where, you know, I think critics loving a quiet place will give it a real bump, you know. This one, if critics don't like it, it may not matter that much to its core audience, which was maybe the only audience it was going to grab in the first place. So it's tracking to open around $17 million this week and nationally. That's a, I would say a modest number, but not a, you know, not a flop, but we'll see what actually the returns are. Also some limited releases in the theaters, Daddio and also Blue Lock the movie, Episode Noggy. Yeah. So Daddio is a Dakota fanning and Sean Penn movie. And I don't think it's to the extent of like before sunrise, before sunset, you know, those kind of conversational movie, like just pure conversation movies, but it is more in that ballpark where Sean Penn is playing a taxi cab driver who has picked, you know, Dakota fanning up as, you know, a fair taking her somewhere. And they start having this conversation. And as they're driving around, they're, you know, they're revealing more and more of their stories and all of this stuff. So it's a very talky movie in that sense. And, you know, Sean Penn and Dakota fanning are both pretty great. So that could work. And the before trilogy is personally one of my favorite trilogies of all time. So we'll see how this one goes. And then Blue Lock, this is another anime film. And we talked about this, I don't know, you and I just a, you know, month or so ago when the haiku dumpster battle movie came out where we're seeing the expansion of the anime genre coming to screen. This is another one. This is actually about soccer players or, you know, I guess they would maybe more call them football players in Japan. But it's about this kid who wants to be a striker, you know, like a goal scoring, you know, forward position on the field. And he goes to this elite camp and there's all these rivalries and all of this stuff. But you know, it's not that sort of sci-fi fantasy world that we normally think about with anime. So haiku dumpster battle was actually about volleyball. This one is about soccer. And also coming on July 3, Despicable Me 4, and also the film Sound of Hope. Yeah, so the, you know, while we should say Inside Out 2, which I did get a chance to see last night, is dominating the box office. Opened to $154 million, held the next week and did $101 million. And truly it is a unbelievable movie. I just, it was even better than I thought it was going to be. It's so smart. They consulted with the author of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers, which is a wonderful book. And they really built that into the film in ways that I just think are stunning from just like a, from that standpoint. So kids movies are cranking right now. Garfield did pretty well, if did pretty well. And now we're going to get Despicable Me 4, the fourth of Despicable Me's. But then when you throw the minions movies in here, we're at like, I don't know, six or seven in this overall franchise. So it's just, it's the next chapter. Steve Carell is in the lead as always. And the minions are running around being, you know, nut jobs as they always are. And it's, it's slapstick. It's funny. Where Inside Out 2 is in many ways very cerebral, but incredibly accessible to kids. You know, Despicable Me 4 is not cerebral. You know, it's just slapstick. And it's so fun. So anyway, that, that hits on the third. And then Sound of Hope, which is a possum trot story is sort of the full title of the film. It's based on a true story of a, of a church within a small community that started fostering, and I believe then, ultimately adopting all of these children who were in really difficult situations. And it obviously, you know, revolutionized what it meant to be a part of this community. And certainly these kids lives that they were stepping into and providing, you know, love and stability and structure to. So just a really great, kind of, great, feel-good movie for us all. Well, thanks for joining us, Eric. All right. See you at the move Scott. This has been Focus West Michigan from WGVU for Friday, June 28, 2024. I'm Joe Bolecki. Our audio operations manager is Rick Birling and our news and public affairs director is Patrick Center. We'll be back with more news and events in West Michigan on Monday, wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening. [Music]