Matt Witkos

Fenton

Reporter at WXMI-TV (Grand Rapids, MI)

Matt Witkos is a local reporter who is covering impactful stories in West Michigan

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Articles

Ottawa County decides to not sue over closure of coal power plant

2 days ago | fox17online.com | Matt Witkos

OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners considered making another push to keep the J.H. Campbell power plant open during Tuesday’s board meeting. It’s the latest effort by the county government this year. Commissioners considered filing a lawsuit against Consumers Energy to stop the planned shutdown.
Allendale accidentally releases high school students' emails

3 days ago | fox17online.com | Matt Witkos

OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — An Ottawa County school district accidentally released the email addresses of high school students as part of a Freedom of Information Act request. Allendale Public Schools sent an email warning students and guardians that 11th graders' email addresses were accidentally released as part of a batch of information sent by the district. FOX 17 spoke with Superintendent Dr. Garth Cooper on how this happened.
'FOREVER EMPLOYEE REST WELL EILEEN’ business honors employee after her passing

6 days ago | fox17online.com | Matt Witkos

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A sign is posted outside of Grand Rapids' Northfield Lanes honoring their longtime employee, Eileen Visser. It reads ‘FOREVER EMPLOYEE REST WELL EILEEN.’Her family explains that the longtime employee recently passed away at 99. After spending more than half a century there, the bowling alley was a second home to Eileen. “I was here a lot. I was a teenager and I used to hang out here,” Eileen’s daughter Patti Duflo said. Duflo had a good reason for being here, her dear mom.
Hudsonville continues to add much needed housing amid population boom

1 week ago | fox17online.com | Matt Witkos

OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — The City of Hudsonville is close to breaking ground on yet another housing project. Despite being here for a few years, the city manager says the spot behind Signatures Coffee & Espresso has sat empty for decades. “This is the most serious that we've gotten and the farthest along in the process that we've gotten to realize a development there,” Hudsonville City Manager Tyler Dotson said. The lot overgrown with trees growing through the cracks is not much to look at right now.
GRPS unveils its future with plans for a new $38 million school

1 week ago | fox17online.com | Matt Witkos

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Public School District is showcasing its reimagined future for the first time ever. Dozens gathered to see what the district is planning as it charts its path forward with a brand-new school on the northeast side. It's the first in that area in 60 years. Several parents shared their excitement after seeing the renderings. “Very exciting. I think it's really cool,” Renae Hurtman said.
Docuseries renews interest in unsolved murder of 15-year-old in Grand Rapids

1 week ago | fox17online.com | Matt Witkos

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — There's a renewed interest in solving the murder of a Grand Rapids 15-year-old. Amillier Penn’s case was highlighted in a docuseries focused on the police department. Chief Eric Winstrom says it’s made a difference in the investigation. “Since the airing of the show, we have had numerous tips come in; as people see it, they're reminded of things that maybe were overlooked at the time but could be important to us now,” Winstrom added.
Kent County Prosecutor reacts to new ban on mandatory life sentences

2 weeks ago | fox17online.com | Matt Witkos

KENT COUNTY, Mich. — On Thursday, the Michigan Supreme Court struck down automatic, no-parole life sentences for 19- and 20-year-olds convicted of murder. With Michigan's Supreme Court ruling, hundreds of people will now be eligible for new sentences. “It's the victim's families that thought they had some certainty, thought this was kind of behind them, and now for a vast majority of them probably have no idea that this is even a possibility,” Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said.
Casino company to open Grand Rapids studio for virtual tellers

2 weeks ago | fox17online.com | Matt Witkos

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A new type of casino experience will soon call Grand Rapids home, but it's not what you might expect. Instead of a traditional brick-and-mortar place to go gambling, Evolution North America is bringing a live dealer studio to the city. "It's like playing at the table game at a casino, but it's streamed online, and you're playing from the kind of comfort of your own home," Evolution North America CEO Jacob Claesson said.
Measles case confirmed in Montcalm County, 4th in Michigan

2 weeks ago | fox17online.com | Zac Harmon |Matt Witkos

MONTCALM COUNTY, Mich. — A fourth person in Michigan has a confirmed case of measles. The diagnosis was announced Wednesday, April 9, for a person living in Montcalm County. That person recently traveled out-of-state, according to the Mid-Michigan District Health Department. Details about when and where they traveled were not immediately available. It is the fourth confirmed case in Michigan, with the other people living in Kent, Oakland, and Macomb counties.
Measles outbreaks bring concerns as spring breakers come home

2 weeks ago | fox17online.com | Matt Witkos

KENT COUNTY, Mich. — As spring break comes to an end, health officials in West Michigan are vigilant of measles cases. Two weeks ago, an individual with measles traveled through the Gerald R Ford International Airport, raising concerns among healthcare professionals who are monitoring for potential outbreaks. “So this is not a new event, that we have measles,” said Jerry Evans, the region six medical director. Currently, there are 607 confirmed cases of measles across 22 states, including Michigan.