Community Matters Calhoun County

A Consumers Energy solar and renewable natural gas site on farmland near Battle Creek is an example of others the utility intends to build on other sites. That's the word from David Hicks, Consumers Energy vice-president of clean energy development, who says the goal is 20 such facilities in order to attain the company's renewable energy goals. The utility expects the final project to ge...

A new, periodic Community Matters segment will focus on local veterans. The segment will feature local experts from entities like the Battle Creek VA Medical Center, the Calhoun County Veterans Affairs Office and Summit Pointe. In this inaugural discussion, representatives from all three organizations share perspectives and overall vision for future episodes. Episode Resources Battle Creek VA Medi...

Marshall Attorney Richard Lindsey returns to Community Matters to discuss his impressions of a June 6, 2024 hearing at the Michigan Court of Appeals. The hearing was a continuation of the ongoing suit targeting zoning at the Marshall Megasite where the Ford BlueOval Battery Park Michigan is being built. While the hearing had been expedited by the appeals court at the urging of the plaintiff, the C...

With population and business traffic increases expected in the area around Marshall, Michigan and its Marshall Area Jobs Opportunities and Recreation (MAJOR) campus, one can expect roadways will need to be upgraded. In June 2024, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) presented some potential ideas for areas near the campus where Ford's Blue Oval Battery Park Michigan is expected to...

Lady is a 3-year-old Beagle/Boxer mix featured in this Wiggly Tail visit to the Humane Society of South Central Michigan . Lady is actually a mix of some other things that make a dog great, too: Playful energy and cuddly; curious and sweet. As we learned in this visit. Lady has some priorities: Get over her heartworm condition and find her forever home. Episode Resources HSSCM website Richard read...

Hear the story of a man whose vision to introduce kids to baseball in Battle Creek has turned into valuable lessons about teamwork and life. Evan Gray, Christa Dufraine and Britney Dowdy join Community Matters to talk about Gray's on Deck has hit a homer. Episode Resources Gray's on Deck website ABOUT COMMUNITY MATTERS Former WBCK Morning Show host Richard Piet (2014-2017) returns to hos...

A Battle Creek tradition returns to downtown in celebration of cereal: National Cereal Fest 2024. Kelly Walden of Kellogg Arena returns to Community Matters to talk about Cereal Fest attractions everyone knows and loves: The Friday parade and Saturday free breakfast. She also lets us in on a few new reasons to attend the festivities - one of which as a little to do with Taylor Swift (sort of). Epi...

Just a couple of weeks after starting her position as the new chief executive of the Battle Creek Community Foundation, Mary Muliett sits down with Community Matters. Muliett reflects on succeeding longtime BCCF CEO Brenda Hunt, the foundational philosophies at the foundation and what it feels like to finally work in the town she's called home for over 20 years. Episode Resources Battle Creek...

Calhoun County Board of Commissioners Chair Kathy-Sue Vette announced her resignation from the panel, about half a year before her term ended. Vette did not file to run again. The District 3 vacancy will be filled by a resident of the district who applies and is selected by commissioners on June 6. That commissioner will finish Vette's term, which ends in December 2024. Vice-Chair Steve Frisb...

The attorney for the Committee for Marshall-Not the Megasite group fighting for a vote on the Ford BlueOval Battery Park zoning expects a Michigan Court of Appeals decision to go their way. Robby Dube returns to Community Matters to talk about the expectations for the June 6, 2024 hearing which offers a chance to turn the tide for the group. Prior court decisions have been in favor of the Ford sid...

It has been a year for severe weather in 2024. A rare EF-1 tornado in Calhoun County struck in the middle of the night in February, causing damage to homes and other property. Another tornado, this one an EF-2, struck in Kalamazoo County in May, and is said to have destroyed more than 60 structures and damaged about 600. In either case, no deaths were caused by the storms. While it's hard to...

Jerry Seinfeld has apparently been rolling around the idea of a movie about the development of breakfast pastries for some time. "I have considered doing a Pop-Tart movie," Seinfeld told Howard Stern in a 2013 interview . "...about how they discovered the Pop-Tart...in Battle Creek, Michigan." Eleven years later, enter the star-studded Netflix comedy called "Unfrosted&quot...

Battle Creek's Cereal City Concert Band has been invited to perform at the 2025 Mid-Europe Wind Band Music Festival in Schladming, Austria. The annual event is set for July 2025. Cereal City Concert Band Conductor Stephen White tells Community Matters the festival brought 1800 foreign participants and more than 10,000 spectators in 2023. Click to listen to Conductor White talk about how the o...

Set for Thursday, May 23, 2024 at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, Calhoun County Senior Services Expo has more vendors than ever registered. That's the word from Senior Services' Rebecca de Finta, who talks about the types of vendors expected, parking and how to get a ride to and from the event. Click to listen. Episode Resources Senior Services website ABOUT COMMUNITY MATTERS Former WBCK...

SAFE Place CEO Ellen Lassiter Collier returns to Community Matters for an update on the organization's mission - and their fundraising event. The Restoring Hope Gala is a dinner and auction set for May 17, 2024 and gives a significant boost to the organization's efforts to "provide safety to, empower and advocate for victims of domestic violence and sex trafficking and their familie...

Women are often the caregivers for their families and loved ones. Lynette Robinson, Family Nurse Practitioner with Oaklawn Hospital in Marshall tells Community Matters that means women often overlook their own preventative health needs. Women's Health Week, May 13-17, 2024, is an excuse to ask Lynette about the top things women should do when keeping track of their health. But, really, anytim...

On the job since late 2023, Ford Motor Company BlueOval Battery Park Michigan CEO Scott Davis sat down with Community Matters for his first-ever local media interview. He outlined a wave of giving to various attractions in Calhoun County. Davis also discussed the progress of construction on the plant going up along Michigan Avenue in Marshall Township, expected to eventually employ about 1700 work...

Harper Creek Community Schools Superintendent Rob Ridgeway returns to Community Matters to discuss how the district would use the resources of a bond request on May 7, 2024. He also discusses what it means for homeowners in the district, as well as how teachers and students have been managing. Episode Resources Harper Creek Bond Proposal FAQs ABOUT COMMUNITY MATTERS Former WBCK Morning Show host R...

It's a first for our Wiggly Tail updates from the Humane Society of South Central Michigan : Spotlighting a pet we've shared with you before who still hasn't been adopted. Enter Sid. In September 2023 on Community Matters , we told you about this Austrailian Cattle Dog/Terrier mix who, according to Executive Director Jessica Gilbert, is a great dog. He's even the favorite among...

Former U.S. Representative Mike Rogers from Michigan chaired the House Intelligence Committee from 2011 to 2015. Rogers, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024, talks about how national intelligence is viewed now compared to then, given the cyber threats posed online. Episode Resources Mike Rogers' Legislative History National Security Institute Mike Rogers' Bio ABOUT COMMUNITY M...

Event: 42nd Annual Community Prayer Breakfast Kellogg Arena 1 McCamly Square Battle Creek, Michigan Program: 7:25 AM Doors Open: 6:45 AM Tickets: $15 each (link below) Keynote: Coach Mike Singletary Theme: "Greatness in You" Prayer Breakfast co-chairs Meghan and Rolly Taft join Community Matters to discuss the history of the event in Battle Creek, special local participants in the progra...

Five hundred ambulances sit idle in Michigan because there aren't enough medical first responders to operate them. So says Clark Imus, who oversees the Kellogg Community College Emergency Medical Services education. But, KCC is putting state grants to use to encourage EMTs to level-up to paramedic status - and encourage new interest in EMT careers. For some, it will mean tuition and other exp...

Michigan 45th District Rep. Sarah Lightner (R-Springport) returns to Community Matters for an update on legislative activity. In particular, Lightner discusses the beginning of the state budget process. The state must pass a balanced budget by July 1 every year. Lightner serves as the minority vice chair of the Michigan House Appropriations Committee.   Lightner also expresses continued concern ab...

Back in January 2024, Battle Creek City Manager Rebecca Fleury told Community Matters the Beckley Road corridor would be studied in the coming months. Now, the public may offer input at a session set for Thursday, April 25, 2024 at Lakeview Square Mall from 5:00 - 7:00 PM. In this episode, listen back to Fleury's comments about the study and overall renewed retail interest in the Battle Creek...

Calling all household hazardous waste, old unused electronics, scrap metal and more: Earth Day wants you! Calhoun County's Earth Day recycling event will happen Monday, April 22, 2024 from noon to 5:30 PM at Bailey Park , 1350 Capital Avenue NE in Battle Creek, near C.O. Brown Stadium. Click to hear Sarah Lundy, Calhoun County solid waste and recycling coordinator, explain what will be accept...