Focus West Michigan
Focus West Michigan for 8-8-24
(upbeat music) Today on Focus West Michigan, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was in town yesterday, and Ottawa County Agency is unable to accept new requests for assistance, a preview of all art grand rapids and more state and West Michigan news. For WGVU, I'm Joe Bilecki. Today is Thursday, August 8, 2024. (upbeat music) Focus West Michigan is brought to you by listeners like you to support this show and everything we do. Visit WGVUnews.org and click the donate button. (upbeat music) The Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development visited grand rapids yesterday. WGVU's David Limbaugh has the story. A study by Bowen National Research found that Kent County needs 22,000 units of housing in the next five years in order to keep up with the demand for affordable housing. This includes 10,000 units for households making zero to 80% of the area median income. The need drawing the attention of Adrian Toddman, HUD's Acting Secretary who toured the low-income housing units at Campball Commons. Toddman spoke with residents and the media about how the Biden-Harris administration is working to lower housing costs and boost the supply of affordable homes for Michigan families. - We're doing two things. One, we're making sure we are investing in units for people to purchase and investing in units for people to rent. I just came from an amazing site and heard about some investments that the congresswoman is making, and the city is making to make sure that we're helping people who are first-time homeowners. - US Representative Hilary Scoulton, a grand rapids democrat, spoke about affordable housing challenges and solutions that are unique to West Michigan and the importance of Toddman to see it firsthand. - I think that we have an incredible model of private public partnerships. I think that through element is that we're committed to quality, quality affordable housing, not just putting it up quickly. People want a nice place to live that they can afford, and we can do both. - I'm David Limbaugh. - An Ottawa County agency is sending out an urgent message this week, alerting residents. It's not taking new requests for help with utility payments right now. WGVU's Dean Morrison reports. - Due to a large influx of requests in recent weeks, the Ottawa County Community Action Agency is temporarily unable to accept new requests for utility assistance. - And anecdotally, if I could give you a number, I would say, we're at least double the triple of the phone calls that we've been receiving on a daily basis for people asking for help. - Program Director Jennifer Brzowski says in July, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services ran through the funds in its emergency relief program, which helps people pay gas and electric bills. The new fiscal year doesn't start until September. So residents in Ottawa County turned to her program for help instead. - We're an agency of only eight staff total, and not all do utility assistance applications. So since that time, we've been very, very busy. - Brzowski says there's several reasons for the influx. - Cost of everything is just going up so significantly. You know, people that are coming to us for help aren't necessarily individuals that aren't employed. It's gonna be people that are working and just having a really difficult time staying on top of their bills. - The agency will continue to process requests received before August 5th and alert the community when new applications can be submitted. Those who need immediate help should contact 211 to find available resources. Those who would like to help can donate to the Walk for Warmth section of the Ottawa County Community Action Agency website. I'm Dee Morrison. - The NCAA accuses Jim Harbaugh of unethical conduct while he was the University of Michigan's football coach and then making false statements. WGVU's Phil Dawson reports Harbaugh denies he lied. - Never lie, never cheat, never steal. I was raised with that lesson. - But according to the NCAA, Harbaugh gave false or misleading answers to questions about contact with recruits during the COVID-19 pandemic and refused to cooperate with investigators. Harbaugh, now the head coach of the San Diego Chargers, had this to say about the allegations during a training camp press conference. - No one's perfect. If you stumble, you apologize and you make it right. Today, I do not apologize. - Harbaugh specifically denies any involvement in alleged sign stealing by former staff member Connor Stallions. - I did not participate, was not aware, nor complicit. - The NCAA is punishing Harbaugh with a one-year suspension if he ever wants to coach college football again. He's in the first year of a reported $80 million five-year contract to coach the Chargers. - So for me, it's back to work. - I'm Phil Dawson. - In Grand Rapids today, a forum addressing artificial intelligence and its use in healthcare was held at the Michigan State University Research Center. WGVU's David Limbaugh was there. - West Michigan medical professionals gathered discussing artificial intelligence or AI and how it impacts medical advancements across the region. Dr. Mark Trail is a diagnostic radiologist with University of Michigan Health West, who considers AI his partner in his work diagnosing breast cancer. - 10 to 30% of cancers on mammograms are missed by the human reader. They might be there, the next person looks at it, might see it, but the first person missed it. So what the AI has done for me is I miss fewer cancers. - California Democrat, U.S. Representative Ted Liu, who also co-chairs the newly established bipartisan task force on artificial intelligence, was on hand to discuss the federal government's role when it comes to AI. - Most AI, the federal government is not going to regulate because it's not harming people. Now, there's gonna be some AI that could harm people, and so we're looking at putting reasonable guardrails on, but it's really hard to know right now because of how fast-moving AI is. - Liu says the AI task force is working on a report that sets forth what types of AI Congress should consider regulating. That report is expected by the end of the year. The forum was hosted by Grand Rapids Democratic Congresswoman Hilary Skoulton. I'm David Limbaugh. - With student athletes gearing up for fall sports, coaches, athletic directors, and trainers met today with medical experts to hone emergency response skills. WGVU's Demorison reports. - To 90 degrees at the count of three. So three, two, one, up. - From properly moving a student athlete with a possible spinal injury to treating heat-related illness, to handling cardiac emergencies, athletic staff at West Michigan high schools and colleges train for it all. More than 40 coaches, trainers, volunteers, and athletic directors are also training with Life EMS Ambulance Paramedics and sports medicine teams from Corwell Health and the University of Michigan West. - It's so important that all of us know what each other's roles are and that we can best serve the student athlete in the time of an emergency and have some sort of communication ahead of time so that that's not the first time we're meeting each other. - Mark Meyer is the founder and president of Life EMS Ambulance, which has hosted the joint training for 10 years. He says it's vital everyone is working from the same playbook when an emergency happens. - We don't get in each other's way, we complement each other with our skill sets, and that's huge. - Ed Cornolia is the director of sports medicine at U of M Health West. - There are new techniques, new boards, new things that everybody needs to know about so that when you see it for the first time at an event, this isn't the first time you've seen it, you've already had some experience with it. - The training includes classroom review and hands-on practice scenarios, as well as discussions of where emergency equipment is located at various athletic facilities. I'm Dee Morrison. - A controversial ultra-conservative coalition that took over the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners two years ago lost its majority in Tuesday's Republican primaries. Ottawa Impact was formed to protest COVID-19 mandates and voted to fire county officials who enforced those rules. The Ottawa Impact majority also shut down the country's diversity, equity, and inclusion office. Holster Richard Shuba says his survey showed county voters were tired of the controversies. - Republicans, good governance Republicans, independents and Democrats, to the left behind the anti-Ottawa Impact candidates, and they are now down to only four seats on the Ottawa County Board. - The remaining board members also have to win the November general elections. Republican nominee for Vice President J.D. Vance talked immigration and crime with reporters during a stop in Michigan yesterday. Colin Jackson has more. - Vance tried to tie his democratic opponents to issues with border security and crime. That's after Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, worked to connect his then opponent, President Joe Biden, to mass incarceration while appealing to black voters in Detroit earlier this year. Vance says he feels like the tough on crime message would land as well. - Tough on crime does not mean tough on every single person who lives in a neighborhood with high crime, but when I talk to people in neighborhoods with high crime, often not always the course voters of color, they actually love the police. - The current democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, is a former state attorney general and has been criticizing Trump for his felony convictions. I'm Colin Jackson in Detroit. The Democratic presidential ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz made their first campaign stop in Metro Detroit. Harris touched on the success of the Biden administration, including the Chips Act that aimed to bolster electric vehicles production. That drew applause from a crowd that was largely made up of United Auto Workers Union members. Harris also tried to highlight the differences between her campaign and that of former President Donald Trump. - What kind of country do we want to live in? - A country of freedom, compassion, and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear and hate. - Harrison Walz stayed in Metro Detroit and will be at a UAW facility this afternoon. (upbeat music) - On this week's wait, wait, Rachel Maddow tries to launch her career as a singer. - Somewhere on "Rinign." - Get yourself a chainsaw 'cause you sure ain't using mine. (audience laughing) - Green on power, out in Florence Mass. We give you the power to cut your freaking grass. (audience laughing) - A Peter Saggle joined us for Rachel's song stylings, plus some people who can actually sing like Jason Isbell and Patti LePone. That's the news quiz from NPR. - Saturday morning at 10 here on WGVU FM and the WGVU app. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) - ArtPrize welcomes all art grand rapids, the most art under one roof, the weekend of September 20 through the 22nd. WGVU's Shelly Irwin spoke with Coleman Brook and Chris Protas to get the details on the event. - Well, it is right around the corner and we must speak of it. ArtPrize coming to Grand Rapids yet again, a wonderful opportunity to see art, obviously by a local, regional and most likely international artists. But how about getting our own art involved? That would be all art. Grand Rapids art show, this coming to Devos Place this September. I understand it's a big deal. So we talked to those involved. Vice President of Sales, Coleman Brook. Good morning to you, Coleman. - Good morning. - Chris Protas, good morning to you, artist relations manager, big title you have. - Good morning, Shelly, how you doing? - Good, let's take everything apart. First of all, all art works foundation, does host all art. A Grand Rapids art show at Devos Place. Tell me a little bit about the structure here. Coleman Brook, you are Vice President of Sales for? - For all art works. - Yes, and Chris Protas, you are artist relations manager of the same venue. - I am indeed, yes. - Wonderful organization. I've been to your place and this is a big deal. Who wants to set up our conversation? - Yes, so all art Grand Rapids will be the largest single art event during art prize. It'll be the most art under one roof during the time that art completely takes over our city. - And has this been a dream come true for you, Chris Protas? - Yeah, actually, the founder of the company, Tyler Optus, he's been talking about doing a show this size for probably a decade. And so it's pretty exciting, yep. - And before we get into the details of this, September 20 through 20 second to installation, remind me of the good work of all art Grand Rapids. - So all art works, we represent artists from all over the country. And so this show is gonna, we're gonna have about 700 works of art on display. Artists from Michigan, from many states throughout the country, and also some art from other countries around the world. - And Coleman, your organization, all art works is located? - We are on Cesar E. Trappas, just down from Founders Brewing. - So that's not a bad location to have. And yes, oftentimes you with your own events, often on a Saturday night bringing in crowds and certainly artists, we've talked about you before. And yet there's also the All Art Works Foundation. What's this arm? - Yeah, so our nonprofit arm partners with various communities to kind of further our mission of making sure art is for everyone. Our whole mantra has been lowering the barrier to entry for art. And we now host events that support artists and now have an art giving program that connects heirloom quality art pieces with families that normally wouldn't be able to expand on quality of life improvements. - And Chris, we've spoken many at a time and certainly you dropped the Tyler Loftus. I remember when you first began this whole All Art experience, man? - Yeah, I know it's been great. And it's evolved a lot out of our partnership with ArtPrize. We were doing the collectors show back in the day and it was very much a focus was like to give an opportunity for artists specifically to sell work during ArtPrize. The opportunity is already there, but let's consolidate it. Let's put all in under one roof, make it maybe more intentional and accessible. And that evolved eventually into all our works. - Yes. So here we are anticipating the beginning of ArtPrize, but let's get right into what we experienced with you September 20 through 22nd where it is a ticketed event. How does it work, Coleman? - Yeah, so we are taking over 50,000 square feet of DeVos Place where we will be showing 700 pieces of art, both two-dimensional traditional paintings, as well as sculptures throughout. - Who's art in general? How are you curating this, Chris? - So we're pulling from our pool of artists and which we have several hundred and we've also got our other partner, Mike Coleman. He's bringing some artwork from New York City to kind of augment the show with some big names that a lot of people will recognize. I'm keeping that as a kind of a surprise for when you walk in the door, but the sculpture park is a new addition that we're taking advantage of this massive space to also augment the show. - And Coleman, this is a Friday through Sunday. The most art under one roof during ArtPrize, as we'll continue to mention, is there a VIP event and more? - So there's a VIP area throughout. So there will be a beer garden, children's area, activities for everybody, and there will be a further elevated experience throughout the weekend, more of an all-inclusive. - Yes, and I mean, this is not only art, but the on the wall, but art evening entertainment includes a DJ? - Yes, we will have performances from different art institutions from Grand Rapids that you will definitely recognize as well as local DJs. Definitely going to have something to do throughout the weekend and throughout each day. It'll be unique each day of the event. - Yes, and I might have missed this, Chris, but the artwork is, as part of your all artworks, unique rotating format. I mean, the work on the walls is switched out. - Yeah, yes, it's part of the thing that's unique. It also came out of our own history of showing the work organically. So now it's something we do as a way to, you see more work without ever, without ever being too much work at one time. And although the number I'm about to throw out does sound like it could be too much, but it's not in one room. We've got multiple galleries, but there's gonna be about 200 works on the wall at a time rotate out every half hour, and it's gonna be really fun and amazing and interesting. - It's an active art show. - Yes. - I like that. Again, all art, Grand Rapids, the most art under one roof at Devos Place for that September 20 through 22nd Art Prize event in tandem with for sure. And I think early bird tickets have already gone on sale. - Yes, tickets are available at the Devos Place box office, as well as the Devos website. You can also get them through our website, allartworks.com, and our events page. - And Chris, we've talked about this before, artwork at the event, it looks like we'll be on sale. This is through your online platform, which is a unique opportunity. - Yeah, yep. So we'll have a handy little QR code and people to help facilitate those purchases. And I want to remind everybody, of course, that every purchase supports an artist. And also a lot of participating artists are former art prize artists and current art prize artists. So there's a lot of crossover there. - And Coleman, don't some of the proceeds actually go into your All Art Works Foundation? - Yes, all of the ticket sales will be supporting the All Art Works Foundation, which continues to produce events and support families in connecting them with art. - There could be some world famous art on set, I understand, Chris. - Definitely, like I said, there'd be names that are household names, and we're in a unique position to have that privilege, and it's a really huge joy for us people to share that with the community here and show them how strong the work by people who are not famous is a way to prove that. - Any work by Chris Protis? - I will have a couple of paintings. - All right, head straight there. Are you an artist, Coleman? - I am not. - But you are a sales guy. - Sales is my art. - That's a necessity. Oh, I always, as we wind down, Chris Protis asks, what else do we need to know? - That the only thing you need to enjoy a work of art is to be human, or maybe even, you know, I don't know anything about the animal kingdom, but I know about that. - And we appreciate that, certainly, as we have in the past, and we will in the future. Back to, again, that September, this is a Friday night through Sunday. What are the hours, again, specifically to attend this? - It is 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. - And Chris, then again, in between. Obviously, we're still a ways. Your all artworks will continue to hold events where you're located. Regular programming are Saturday evening events, and we're at 333 Cesar Echevez on the ground floor. And again, every Saturday night, 6 to 9 p.m. We've got shows up all the way up to the event. - All right, very nice. But then, the event, a big deal. The most art under one roof during art prize. Hopefully that record will be kept for a bit. Nice to have that partnership. One more time, how to get our tickets and your information, Coleman Brook. - Yes, you can get tickets at the DeVosPlays box office, the DeVosPlays website, or allartworks.com. - You're gonna work on art today, Chris? - Yes, yes. - Thank you. - Chris Brooks, artist relations manager, Coleman Brook, vice president of sales, who can great team and more with all art. And of course, looking forward to art prize. Thank you, gentlemen. - Thank you. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) - This has been Focus West Michigan from WGVU for Thursday, August 8, 2024. I'm Joe Bilecki. Our audio operations manager is Rick Beerling and our news and public affairs director is Patrick Center. We'll be back with more news and events in West Michigan tomorrow, wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) [MUSIC PLAYING]