SW Michigan

PORTAGE, MI - Regulations controlling the proliferation of donation boxes in Portage are up for a public hearing at Tuesday's Portage City Council meeting. The donation box ordinance amendment has been discussed since last fall and went through Planning Commission hearings and approval.

After spending a few months in the skies of Earth's southern hemisphere, the comet will be visible in the northern hemisphere around dusk, low in the western sky, starting tonight through March 13, according to comet experts. Comet-watchers will need clear skies to see the celestial body, experts say.

KALAMAZOO, MI -- A committee of stakeholders tasked to look at digital billboards in Kalamazoo has started to meet, and has made its meetings open to the public. The Kalamazoo City Commission issued a moratorium on new digital billboards in January, which involves a six-month stop on processing any permits for "internally illuminated off-premises signs" more than 200 square feet.

W.K. Kellogg Airport must make its case to aviation officials about why the airport's control tower should be spared from closure because of broad federal budget cuts. In a letter this week, the Federal Aviation Administration notified the city of Battle Creek, which operates the airport, that it has until March 13 to respond with a rationale for why the tower should remain open.

Lansing - State lawmakers on Thursday took first steps to help harbors and marinas suffering from record-low water levels in the Great Lakes. The Michigan Senate approved spending $21 million on emergency dredging of 49 public harbors along the Great Lakes before the summer boating season gets under way.