Audrey Whitaker

Kalamazoo

Reporter at MLive

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Articles

93-Year-Old Veteran Honors Granddaughter at Army National Guard Officer Graduation

1 week ago | military.com | Audrey Whitaker

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Portage plans funding for $18M development near Austin, West lakes

1 week ago | mlive.com | Audrey Whitaker

PORTAGE, MI — Construction on a city-lead, income-based housing project in Portage is expected to begin this spring. The City Council signed off on a $3.6 million contract to build up the new neighborhood’s infrastructure during its Tuesday, April 15 meeting. Plans for Stanwood Crossings call for 42 single-family homes on the 14-acre property between Austin Lake and West Lake, just east of Portage Road and south of Lakeview Park.
93-year-old veteran honors granddaughter at Army National Guard officer graduation

1 week ago | mlive.com | Audrey Whitaker

BATTLE CREEK, MI — It’s been at least six years since the last woman graduated from the Michigan Army National Guard’s Officer Candidate School. That was one motivating factor for 2nd Lt.Samantha Swiatek. The other, she said, was that her grandpa Harold Yarrington would be there to salute her after graduation. Swiatek graduated Officer Candidate School on Sunday, April 13. Her 93-year-old veteran grandfather had the honor of being her first salute at the Fort Custer graduation ceremony.
Additional $450K goes to Portage residents impacted by 2024 tornado

1 week ago | mlive.com | Audrey Whitaker

PORTAGE, MI — Portage is prepared to hand up to $450,000 in tornado relief off to After the Storm, an organization that helps communities distribute financial aid and other recovery resources after an extreme weather event. Portage City Council members approved the transfer of funds during a Tuesday, April 15 meeting. Statewide nonprofit After the Storm will distribute funds to residential property owners impacted by the May 7, 2024 tornado, per city documents.
2 street closures impacting downtown Kalamazoo traffic this week

1 week ago | mlive.com | Audrey Whitaker

KALAMAZOO, MI — A downtown Kalamazoo street will close while crane work is underway on the Radisson Plaza Hotel. Water Street, between North Kalamazoo Mall and North Rose Street, will close Tuesday, April 15 through Friday, April 18. Drivers can follow a detour route posed in the area, per a city press release. Pedestrian traffic will not be impacted.
Egg-laying chickens killed in Southwest Michigan barn fire

1 week ago | mlive.com | Audrey Whitaker

CASCO TOWNSHIP, MI — An early morning fire killed egg-laying chickens on a farm near South Haven on Monday, April 14. A passerby reported the fire at 972 68th Street at 5:20 a.m., per a South Haven Area Emergency Services release. The farm is about 8.5 miles north of South Haven. The barn was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, according to the release. Water was shuttled by tankers to the scene.
Kalamazoo-based coffee shop prepares to open fourth cafe

1 week ago | mlive.com | Audrey Whitaker

OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP, MI — There’s something romantic about hotels, Factory Coffee co-owner Dan Kastner said. He and co-owner/wife Emmy have long been interested in opening a cafe in one. The Marriott Kalamazoo Conference Center, located just west of U.S. 131 at 2747 S. 11th Street, will be Factory Coffee’s fourth location. The Kalamazoo-based coffee company is taking over a “dead Starbucks” in the lobby, Dan Kastner said, while other renovations on the hotel are underway.
Chick-Fil-A eyes third Kalamazoo County location

1 week ago | mlive.com | Audrey Whitaker

COMSTOCK TOWNSHIP, MI — Chick-Fil-A is planning its third Kalamazoo County restaurant, this one on Gull Road. Plans approved by the Comstock Township Planning Commission on March 13 call for a 5,208-square-foot restaurant with a covered drive-thru and outdoor patio, per township documents. A map of the plans is shown, below. Chick-Fil-A officials did not provide an anticipated opening date for the new location.
$1.4M paving project on U.S. 131 includes lane closures between Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo

1 week ago | mlive.com | Audrey Whitaker

ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI — Work on U.S. 131 between the Grand Elk Railroad Crossing and 112 Avenue begins Monday, April 14. The $1.4 million project includes pavement repairs and asphalt resurfacing along the 4-mile stretch and ramps at the 106th Avenue interchange. The section of expressway is between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. Work is expected to wrap up in late May, according to a Michigan Department of Transportation press release. There will be lane closures, per the release.
Driver U-turns through wet concrete, destroying new median near Kalamazoo

2 weeks ago | mlive.com | Audrey Whitaker

KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI — A driver ran over a median that was under construction on Sprinkle Road on Thursday, April 10. The concrete median wasn’t dry yet, according to a Road Commission of Kalamazoo County (RCKC) Facebook post. A photo timestamped 11:16 a.m. shows construction workers standing near the destroyed median. Concrete-coated tire tracks continue inside orange barrels along the route. Significant damage was done to the new median, per the post.