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Southwest Michigan Today for Tuesday July 25, 2017

The Trump administration doesn't want a study on Asian carp in the Great Lakes released until the new head of the Army Corps of Engineers takes office. Local activist Chris Wahmhoff to run for Kalamazoo City Mayor. Stryker breaks ground on a new research and development facility in Portage.

Lawmakers want a study on how to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes released. The Detroit Newssays the Army Corps of Engineers was supposed to finish a report on fighting the invasive species five months ago. Michigan Congressman Bill Huizenga recently amended a spending bill that would force the Army Corps to release the study. That’s in addition to similar legislation approved by the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee last week. The Trump administration says it wants to wait to deliver the report until after the new head of the Army Corps of Engineers takes office.

A local activist announced he’s running for Kalamazoo City Mayor. The Kalamazoo Gazette says Chris Wahmhoff is known for sitting in an Enbridge oil pipeline during a protest in 2013. He also ran for U.S. Senate in 2014. Wahmhoff says he’s running to make sure ordinary citizens get a say in how the Foundation for Excellence is used. It’s a $70 million donation to the city from philanthropists William Johnston and William Parfet. Wahmhoff is also critical of Parfet - who donated thousands of dollars to Governor Rick Snyder’s campaign.

The Stryker Corporation held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new research and development facility in Portage on Monday. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports construction for the $154 million project will start Wednesday. Among other things, the 75-acre building will house a showroom as well as labs for research and development. It’s expected to add more than a hundred jobs to Stryker’s workforce.