It's the beginning of the school year for some Kalamazoo Public Schools students. The FireKeepers Casino is expanding its hotel. A state court of appeals decision means some pot not covered by Michigan's Medical Marijuana Law. WMU has a new vice president for diversity and inclusion. The Growlers set a new franchise record for wins, while the Bombers get swept in a double header heading into the Northwoods League All-Star break. A nature preserve gets an award for conservation.
(Kalamazoo Gazette) Today is back-to-school-day for some elementary students in Kalamazoo. The Woodward School for Technology and Research and the Washington Writer’s Academy both started their school years today (Monday), long before the academic year begins for most Michigan K through 12 students. The early return is intended to prevent “summer slide,” with students losing math and reading skills over a long break. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports the earlier start times are part of an agreement with the state, which had said it might close Woodward and Washington last year. Kalamazoo Public Schools sued to keep them open and later settled that lawsuit.
(Kalamazoo Gazette) The FireKeepers Casino plans to add more rooms to its hotel. Officials with the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Pottawatomi, which owns the Casino say the hotel has been filling up in the last year. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports the tribe hopes to attract more visitors to FireKeepers by adding capacity. The hotel has about 240 rooms right now. FireKeepers has not announced how many rooms it will add to the hotel or when it plans to break ground.
(MPRN) Marijuana that’s not yet fully processed is not covered by Michigan’s Medical Marijuana law. It’s called wet marijuana. Pot that’s harvested from the plant but not dried out yet. The State Court of Appeals says that marijuana isn’t usable, so it’s not covered by the Medical Marijuana law. That means a person can be arrested for having it even if they are a licensed grower. Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson says the court’s clear decision helps law enforcement as well as growers. Medical marijuana defense lawyers say the new rule creates a problem for their clients. That’s because it’s almost guaranteed that during the growing process their plants will become illegal while they dry.
Western Michigan University has named a new vice president for Diversity and Inclusion. Western announced that Candy McCorkle, currently the director of diversity and inclusion at Alma College, will begin her duties on August first. McCorkle replaces Martha Warfield, who is retiring after more than 25 years with the university. Warfield has been Western’s chief diversity officer since 2010.
(Kalamazoo Gazette) A nature preserve near Paw Paw has been recognized for its conservation work. The Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy’s Portman Nature Preserve, which covers close to 200 acres, received an award from the U.S. Forest Service earlier this summer. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports the Portman preserve is home to the third-largest population of the endangered Mitchell’s satyr butterfly.
(Great Lakes Today) Each year, scientists forecast just how bad the algae bloom will be on Lake Erie. And this summer, the green scum is already forming. The bloom popped up earlier than normal this year, but Rick Stumpf, a NOAA scientist, says an early bloom is not indicative of a severe one. It wasn’t until September last year that algae blooms peaked in western Lake Erie, where the warmer, shallower water helps breed algae from nearby farm runoff. Last year, Lake Erie charter boat captains estimated a 25 percent loss in business due to people cancelling trips to avoid the green scum. Stumpf says boaters can look to NOAA’s harmful algae bloom bulletins for a bloom analysis.
In baseball, Kalamazoo rallied from a five run deficit in the first inning to beat Lakeshore Sunday 11-6. The Growlers now have 34 wins on the season, breaking the franchise record set in 2016. The Northwoods League All-Star Game will be played at Homer Stryker Field Tuesday. Kalamazoo’s next game is on Thursday when they host Green Bay.
Battle Creek lost both games a double header to Wisconsin Rapids Sunday, 5-1 and 9-6. The Bombers resume play after the All-Star break with a double header at Kenosha on Thursday.