Kalamazoo Public Schools and three other districts appear to be moving closer to settling a lawsuit against the state. The districts went to court after the School Reform Office said it might close 38 schools, including two in Kalamazoo.
After the districts filed suit, the state backed off the plan. And Governor Rick Snyder agreed to give control of the SRO back to the Department of Education. He’d taken it out in 2015. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports that the parties now have a "framework" for settling the lawsuit, according to a judge in the Michigan Court of Claims.
Another Democrat has jumped into the race for Michigan's Sixth Congressional District next year. Matt Longjohn of Portage is a physician and a former national health officer at the YMCA. He joins three other Democrats who'll also compete in the August 2018 primary. The others are Western Michigan University professors Paul Clements and David Benac, and chemist Eponine Garrod. Current Congressman Fred Upton - a Republican – has not said if he'll seek re-election next year.
If you have a bench warrant out for your arrest in Kalamazoo County, next Thursday could be your lucky day. The Kalamazoo Gazette saysthe county's District Court is offering and amnesty on July 20th from 9 to 11 a.m. People with warrants can have them dismissed if they go to the court and make arrangements to clear up unpaid fines. Court officials anyone wanting to take advantage of the amnesty must appear in person on the third floor of the County Courthouse on West Michigan Avenue. They must also be willing to work with the court to resolve their cases.
Despite layoffs at local cereal companies, large businesses in Battle Creek added hundreds of new jobs. The Battle Creek Enquirerreports 700 jobs were lost last year - half of them came from layoffs at Kellogg, Post, and TreeHouse Foods. But officials with the economic development organization Battle Creek Unlimited say the city had a net gain of 375 jobs. The organization would not divulge the job numbers for individual companies. But Denso Manufacturing Michigan recently expanded its facility in Battle Creek. And three companies moved to the city last year - One Earth, Dailyland Laboratories, and Precision Tools Service.
An invasive crayfish was found in Sunset Lake in Vicksburg. The Kalamazoo Gazettesays red swamp crayfish or Louisiana crayfish dig deep burrows in the banks of rivers and lakes. That can cause erosion and damage structures like dams. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources confirmed reports of the crayfish in Vicksburg as well as in Oakland County within the past week. This is the first time the invasive species has been found alive in the state. The red swamp crayfish looks like a small lobster. It’s a deep red color and about two to five inches long. Anyone who finds the crayfish in Michigan should report to the DNR.
Three Kalamazoo grocery stores will help people get better access to fresh foods. Starting in August, Park Street Market, PFC Natural Grocery & Deli, and Town & Country Supermarket will launch an incentive program called Double Up Food Bucks. The program matches the dollars Bridge Card and food stamp shoppers spend on fresh fruit and vegetables. That money can then be used to buy up to $20 in produce a day. Officials with the Kalamazoo County Hunger Free Coalition say the program not only provides healthy food, it also gives local farmers a boost. Farmers markets in the area already participate in Double Up Food Bucks.
