News

Psst: You wanna see 28 free movies? I’ve got a deal for you. Get a seat for the 10th annual Kalamazoo Teen Filmmaker Festival, which will be held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the State Theatre. The movies were made by local directors between the ages of 13 and 18. The selections cover an impressive range of topics, from a soldier’s battle with post-traumatic stress disorder to a doctor with a sick sense of humor to a lonely sock monkey searching for the girl who once adored him. 

Tonight the Red Sea Pedestrians trek back to Western Michigan University for a performance at the School of Music. All 6 members of the eclectic klezmer-swing-folk band are WMU alumni. Ian Gorman tells Cara Lieurance about the band’s origins, the development of its unique and versatile style, and the influence of regional stories and folklore from Michigan in their music. This is the first performance featuring new drummer/percussionist Ben Lau.

After watching percussion trio Identity Cubed, you may never see percussion the same way again. The group plays everything from a standard drum set to table tops in their shows.

Hearings to ban “biodiversity areas” in the state capitol will continue this week. Interlochen Public Radio reports that supporters of the legislation want to allow businesses to access public lands that serve as reserves for native plants and animals. Republican state Senator Tom Casperson says this would help create jobs and business opportunities.

The federal government says black babies are up to three times more likely to die than white infants. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say more African-Americans suffer from high blood pressure than whites do. Those and other disparities in health and health care are the subject of the annual Burian Lecture on Wednesday, February 20th, at Western Michigan University.