Community Matters Calhoun County

Calhoun County, Michigan Sheriff Steve Hinkley returns to Community Matters - this time to discuss Halloween safety. Hinkley encourages parents to take safety precautions and to help their children do the same. Episode Resources Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department website Sheriff Steve Hinkley’s website ABOUT COMMUNITY MATTERS Former WBCK Morning Show host Richard Piet (2014-2017) returns to host...

Calhoun County Board of Commissioners Vice-Chair Steve Frisbie returns to Community Matters with updates on the October 2023. Frisbie elaborates on the annual property tax apportionment report approved by commissioners in October 2023, including an overall county tax increase related to the 9-1-1 millage. He also discusses the process by which local municipalities begin estimating road improvement...

The Humane Society of South Central Michigan is issuing an appeal to pet owners to consider how the excitement of Halloween night may affect their pets - and plan accordingly. Executive Director Jessica Gilbert tells Community Matters pets often get lost on Halloween - and can be spooked (not in a good way) by consumes and other frights that humans enjoy. Jessica also introduces us to Matcha, a be...

Deadline to enter: November 1, 2023 In this episode, we visit with Chuck Barnes, owner of the southwest-Michigan-based firm Decorate with Lights. Chuck is looking for nominees of local veterans from which one winner will be chosen to receive a free holiday light installation on their home for the 2023 holiday season. Click the link below to the Decorate with Lights website and complete the online...

Battle Creek Police plan a special added enforcement focus targeting drivers who are speeding, distracted and other violations during the week of October 23 - 27, 2023. In this discussion, BCPD Lt. Ryan Strunk talks about why the special enforcement is being done - and what the department hopes motorists will learn from it. Episode Resources BCPD website More Community Matters: Now Illegal in Mich...

Only having driven an electric vehicle a couple of times for short distances, my experience was limited. Though skeptical about the ability to shift to an EV for all my personal transportation, I was curious. Could I use an EV exclusively for all my daily transportation? Thanks to Lakeview Ford Lincoln in Battle Creek, I have spent a month with a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E all-electric and I've...

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Observing that, Battle Creek's SAFE Place shelter and support program for victims of domestic violence joins Community Matters for a frank discussion of the problem. Chief Executive Ellen Lassiter Collier also talks about how the organization's programs have expanded to meet the local need - including early intervention and an approach to sex...

Elections officials all over Michigan are preparing for what voters approved in 2022: Nine days of early voting ahead of Election Day. That has Calhoun County Clerk Kim Hinkley and her team working to put together a staff who can pull it off in 2024. But, in order to do so, more elections inspectors will be needed. In this episode, Clerk Hinkley talks about the job, the requirements and how much i...

Firefighter and fire safety educator Michael McLeieer visits with Community Matters to discuss fire and environmental concerns related to electric vehicle battery fires. McLeieer, who heads the organization ESCAPE (Education Showing Children and Adults Procedures for Evacuations), talks about how firefighters approach an EV fire, either in a vehicle or in a large manufacturing facility, such as th...

In his regular update to Community Matters listeners, Rep. Jim Haadsma (D-Battle Creek) echoed other community leaders, saying he expects construction on Ford's EV battery plant to continue at the Marshall Megasite. Ford announced a temporary stop on construction on September 25, 2023, citing concerns over the ability to "competitively operate the plant". In the days that followed,...

Calhoun County (Michigan) Board of Commissioners Vice-Chair Steve Frisbie updates listeners on attempts to establish a transit authority - which met with success in September, 2023. But, not all municipalities in the county are on board. Frisbie also offered his view on the late-September announcement from Ford Motor Company that it would pause construction on the BlueOval Battery Park Michigan on...

The auto industry is a big deal in Michigan. So, when the United Auto Workers use a work stoppage as leverage to negotiate a new working agreement, that's a big deal, too. In this episode, Vince Pavone with Lakeview Ford Lincoln in Battle Creek returns - this time to talk about what dealers typically worry about when a UAW strike is underway. As well, Vince and Richard talk about Richard&apos...

Jim Schwartz, the mayor of Marshall, Michigan, is taking Ford Motor Company at its word that construction on the BlueOval Battery Park Michigan is temporarily stopped - and will resume. Ford issued a statement on September 25, 2023 announcing construction would be paused: "We’re pausing work and limiting spending on construction on the Marshall project until we’re confident about our ability...

Ford Motor Company's plans for the Megasite in Marshall Township, Michigan back in February, 2023 were clear: Ford will build a lithium ion phosphate battery plant on the site and bring 2500 new jobs to the area. The site has been readying for construction in earnest, even while a grassroots lawsuit attempted to stop construction, so far unsuccessfully. Then, amid strike talks with the UAW, F...

In the second episode of Richard's first EV adventure in a Ford Mustang Mach-E, he discusses the distance test. OK, so, range anxiety is real when it comes to EVs. But, if you enter into it with the right frame of mind, it actually works out well. Admittedly, this trip was only 300 miles round trip, but there was some analysis and planning involved. Click and hear Richard talk about that plan...

Fresh back from Governor Gretchen Whitmer's business development mission to Japan, Battle Creek Unlimited's Joe Sobieralski returns to Community Matters. He discusses the multimillion dollar reinvestment by DENSO Manufacturing Michigan to modernize its Battle Creek plant - and, he says, why more such investments would be a good thing - even though they are not tied to producing additiona...

Glenn Kowalske, spokesperson for the organization opposing construction of the BlueOval Battery Park Michigan plant in Marshall, returns to Community Matters. This is Kowalske's first conversation with Community Matters after a judge ruled against the Committee for Marshall-Not the Megasite's lawsuit targeting the zoning process for the plant. At the time of the interview, the court had...

The Humane Society of South Central Michigan representative of adoptable pets this time is Sid, a Terrier/Australian Cattle Dog mix. Jessica Gilbert visits Community Matters to fill us in on Sid, who has a lot of energy and is ready for an active owner. We'll also learn about an opportunity for an artist's rendition of your favorite pet. Episode Resources HSSCM website Richard reads to t...

Community Matters host Richard Piet, being a bit of a car guy, is typically interested in many things automotive. This time, he is setting out to have his first longer-term drive behind the wheel of an EV. In fact, he will spend a few weeks with the 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E all-electric vehicle, working to integrate it into his normal travel plans. Click to hear his first impressions and initial e...

Ford Motor Company's plans for a lithium iron phosphate battery production facility in Marshall, Michigan seemingly remain on track. On September 15, 2023, Judge William Marietti sided with Ford in a decision over potential rezoning of the site. The case was brought by a citizens' group, Committee for Marshall-Not the Megasite , a spokesman for which told Community Matters their ultimate...

First Aired September 9, 2023 Luke Wilson is quite clear: "I was pretty much against electric vehicle ownership about ten years ago."  Fast forward to the summer of 2023 and Luke joined his fellow members of the West Michigan Mustang Club, showing off his 2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle. It has 30,000+ miles logged on the odometer. In this Community Matters visit, Luke talks ab...

First Aired September 9, 2023 An analysis of the latest Calhoun County ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed) information shows a glimmer of hope: A reduction in poverty stats in the county. Alyssa Stewart, chief impact officer with the United Way of South Central Michigan, visits Community Matters to discuss what that really means. As well, she talks about how the Battle Creek City Com...

First Aired September 2, 2023 Most automakers are moving ahead fervently with a plan to convert all or much of their lineups to electric models in the coming years. At the same time, researchers are working to study and improve battery techology for EVs. In the first in a Community Matters mini-series of episodes meant to help educate folks about EVs, Lakeview Ford-Lincoln's Vince Pavone talk...

First Aired September 2, 2023 In her last Community Matters check-in before the fall 2023 legislative session in Lansing, Rep. Sarah Lightner (R-Springport) of Michigan's 45th District talks about a number of subjects. Among them: The House independent contractor bill lingering in Lansing, bills associated with juvenile justice and more. She also offers perspective on what the partisan climat...

First Aired September 2, 2023 Calhoun County Vice-Chair, Commissioner Steve Frisbie tells Community Matters the latest attempt at establishing a transit authority in the county "will probably pass". The question was removed from the agenda at a County Board of Commissioners meeting earlier in the summer of 2023 after it appeared not to have enough support among municipalities in Calhoun...