UIX: Scott Townley, Alison Morgan cultivate Hope
Alison Morgan, project coordinator for Hope Farms, along with farm manager Scott Townley, help refugees learn and grow marketable skills at the Southeastern Grand Rapids farm plot.
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With more active neighborhood associations than any other area of the city, the southeast side of Grand Rapids encompasses Baxter, East Hills, Cherry Hills, Eastown, Heritage Hill, Madison Square, and Midtown, among others. Filled with historic homes and an ever-growing selection of boutiques, farm-to-table restaurants, coffee shops, and hipster bars, the southeast side celebrates its racial diversity, artistic creativity, strong civic spirit, and burgeoning business development while retaining the character found in its brick roads and sidewalks.
G-Sync: How a city moves forward after Ferguson
The way Grand Rapids responds to the events of Ferguson will set in motion a course of events that can either move us forward or roll us back in time. Lifestyle Editor Tommy Allen says it's time to listen and learn -- and follows through with a list of suggested articles and books to read, local organizations and initiatives to support, and smart ways to continue the conversation.
G-Sync: Let’s sticker it to homelessness in GR
The number of teens who experience homelessness is high, and of that number between 20 and 40 percent will originate from one segment of the teen population. During National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, Lifestyle Editor Tommy Allen shines a light on what our area agencies are doing as they seek to reduce those numbers.
G-Sync: Lamp Light a Gain
When the 3rd annual Lamp Light Music Festival returns back to the host homes nestled deep in Grand Rapids' Eastown neighborhood this weekend, the team that created it will have changed drastically. Lifestyle Editor Tommy Allen muses on the power of a well-organized music festival to create harmonious connections in our community, one home at a time.
G-Sync: Term limits would curb our city’s potential
Can you imagine loading software on your computer from 1994? Neither can Lifestyle Editor Tommy Allen, who takes a close look at why he's voting "no" on the upcoming ballot proposal on term limits for Grand Rapids government.
G-Sync: Land bank’s big deal
As West Michigan continues to grow, it's important that we begin to dive in and talk with the officials who are impacting the policies and projects in our community. Land banks are part of our fabric now, but in the years ahead their role will most certainly be debated. Lifestyle Editor Tommy Allen uncovers the big deal behind land banks.
G-Sync: A bar promise come true, dizzybird aims for the sky
We all engage in bar talk, but what happens in the bar usually stays in the bar...that is, until Lifestyle Editor Tommy Allen meets dizzybird records. Find out what happens when two music-loving Grand Rapidians meet over a drink and create something new.
Do Good: CLSWM provides a pathway to justice for low-income people
Think those stereotypical jokes about lawyers being greedy and cutthroat are true? Au contraire: Since its inception, Community Legal Services of West Michigan's 37 volunteer attorneys have donated more than 500 hours of free legal assistance to people who cannot afford to hire an attorney. Do Good editor Victoria Mullen reports.
G-Sync: From Seneca Falls to Grand Rapids, women’s voices matter
Quick: Name your five favorite films of all time. Lifestyle Editor Tommy Allen is guessing most of them were directed by men, and he has just the local event to add some fresh new names to your list of favorites.
G-Sync: Summer’s bookend is a Silver Line
Lifestyle Editor Tommy Allen reflects on a couple's comments at the start of summer and finds something beautiful that ends with the launch of a Silver Line. Along the way, he wonders if the word "progressive" has come to mean something new as the city moves forward.
