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From the May 7 tornados to the election to solar energy policy: WMUK's 2024 year in review

The top half of a white sided house was blown off completely by a tornado that touched down in Portage on May 7.  The screen door is still on it's hinges, but the entire wall to the right of the screen door is gone.  A white car and a black SUV are parked in a parking pad to the right of the driveway.  The trunk of the black SUV seems to have blown open, or perhaps it is debris from another metal object blown by the tornedo.  To the right of the house is a shambles.  From this angle it looks like the entire contents of the house was duped on the driveway and to the right of the house in a large pile.  Trees in the background are knocked over or stripped of all foliage.
Leona Larson
/
WMUK
A house in Portage, in the path of the tornado, is left completely destroyed. Despite the destruction, there were no fatalities and no life-threatening injuries from the May 7 tornado.

Here are some highlights from this year's coverage.

2024 will likely be remembered for an election that saw a former president win the office again. That followed an incumbent president ending his re-election bid in a little over three months before Election Day. 

In the final days of the campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, came to Kalamazoo for a rally with former First Lady Michelle Obama

Republican JD Vance, the Republican nominee for Vice President, came to Portage a few days later rallying support for Donald Trump’s bid to return to the White House

Before the election, WMUK’s Report for America corps member Michael Symonds introduced us to some voters who defy political conventional wisdom. He reported on Democrats living in rural areas in Southwest Michigan. In a separate story, we met a few of the Republicans who live in the City of Kalamazoo

After the election WMUK examined the potential impact on issues such as immigration. Michael Symonds spoke with officials from the UFW Foundation to find out how they are preparing for President-elect Trump's plans to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

One of the year’s major stories in the Kalamazoo area was a series of severe storms and tornados that moved through Kalamazoo, Cass, Branch and St. Joseph Counties on May 7th. There were no serious injuries, but there was substantial damage to homes and businesses in Portage and other cities

Overseas, war continued in Gaza. The first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel was observed in Kalamazoo. WMUK also introduced our audience to a Western Michigan University alumnus who was injured by an air strike near his home in Gaza. Abedelazeez Abu Shaaban lost a daughter in the attack. Leona Larson met with him as he was working in physical therapy on his injured arm. 

In November, we learned about an athletic center in Lebanon run by a man who moved back to his native country after two decades in Michigan. Omar Akl, a friend of Leona Larson’s told us how the family business became a haven for displaced children

Energy policy continued make news in 2024. Holtec International continued its efforts to restart the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Covert. The company is still seeking final approval to restart the plant, which has not operated since 2022. However, legislation that among other things changes the mission statement of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, raised concerns among some watchdog groups.

Legislation that supporters say would boost solar energy in Michigan did not get final approval before the end of the state Legislature’s session. Republican state Senator Ed McBroom says he plans to reintroduce it again next year. Opponents, including Michigan’s largest utilities, say “community solar” would raise the rates for their customers. WMUK’s Michael Symonds looked into those claims to see if they hold up

As the year comes to a close, some local governments are making final plans for spending federal money that was part of relief from the COVID-19 pandemic. WMUK’s Ingrid Gardner checked in with some government leaders in Southwest Michigan to find out how those plans are coming together

In 2024 we continued looking into your questions for our regular feature Why’s That? We found out the origins of the “Kalamazoo Valley;” the origins of tanks that one listener often passed on Cork Street in Kalamazoo; the Kalamazoo-specific version of the Sir Mix-a-Lot song Jump on It; and the urban legend about the connection of a vacation rental home in Fennville to organized crime

In January of 2024, we aired our documentary Nowhere to Go: How the system failed a trafficking survivor. It told the story of Stacy Chambliss, who was trafficked in Kalamazoo in 2019. The documentary built on the five-part series that aired in 2023 and showed how Chambliss didn’t get help at several points from law enforcement and others who are supposed to help trafficking victims. We continued to follow the story as auto theft charges against Chambliss were dismissed as part of a plea deal

Happy New Year. WMUK looks forward to covering the news in 2025!