Kalamazoo News Archives

A new store has opened on the downtown Kalamazoo Mall thanks to the city's retail incubation program, the first of its kind in Michigan.

If this week's forecast is a sign of things to come, December looks to be nothing like its dry, largely snowless predecessor.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced two public meetings set this week for two Kalamazoo River cleanup projects.

KALAMAZOO, MI- KALAMAZOO COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES WERE CALLED TO THE MEIJER ON WEST MAIN WEDNESDAY NIGHT ON AN ARMED ROBBERY.

November 22, 2009, 7:30AM KALAMAZOO - Power shoppers across the nation are getting ready to storm the stores this Friday in search of "Black Friday" deals.

Theater review KALAMAZOO - Best not cancel your Netflix request for Frank Capra's 1946 movie "It's A Wonderful Life." Though showing promise, "It's A Wonderful Life, The Musical," which the Kalamazoo Civic opened Friday night, proved not ready yet for prime time.

SANTA'S WORKSHOP: Children can make a gift and sit on Santa's lap from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today in downtown Kalamazoo in the Mall Plaza, 125 S. Kalamazoo Mall.

In Kalamazoo the Holly Jolly Trolley is back for its fifth year. The trolley runs a fixed route through downtown, helping people get to shopping and entertainment venues.

The Home Builders Association of Greater Kalamazoo and the Greater Kalamazoo Association of Realtors will present a panel discussion on how to navigate through the challenging times of the appraisal and financing process.

Jockeying for deals and standing in lines outside some of the stores along South Westnedge Avenue early Friday morning, bargain hunters in greater Kalamazoo joined their counterparts all over the country fro the Black Friday rush.

Kalamazoo Township police are continuing to probe the August slaying of a 31-year-old man, but a detective sergeant with the agency says the investigation has yet to yield many clues.

People in Ottawa County can get H1N1 vaccines next week with a reservation. Clinics run from 4-to-8 pm next Wednesday and Thursday.

A must-buy for Black Friday die-hards, Thursday's Kalamazoo Gazette will be available tonight in a limited number.

The student council members at Woods Lake Elementary School want to make sure no one goes cold this winter.

The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Community Policing Unit will join forces with area fire departments for a communitywide food collection set for noon to 4 p.m. Dec.

WEST MICHIGAN Many area restaurants and organizations will be offering free meals on Thanksgiving.

Two Kalamazoo-area residents have been sentenced to federal prison for convictions related to methamphetamine.

More areas in Kalamazoo's Edison neighborhood will be lit up at night, thanks to a community beautification project that also will aid residential security.

Kalamazoo County commissioners kept discussion of a downtown-Kalamazoo arena alive Tuesday.

Kalamazoo County leaders want to make sure the area gets its full share of some $400 billion in federal money at stake in the 2010 census.

Michigan Blood, the newly renamed Michigan Community Blood Centers, signs up to provide blood products for the Borgess and Bronson Hospital chain.

A U.S. Postal Service study recommends moving some mail operations from Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids, cutting 40 area jobs and $2.5 million.

Matt Giraud had his "swagger on high" Saturday at his first solo concert, warmly engaging the sold-out crowd with his marvelous voice, gorgeous piano playing and outsized charm.

The movie titled "Kalamazoo, River: US" made its premiere last month. Other screenings are planned and DVDs are being sold.

With so many out of work right now many families are having trouble putting food on their tables and paying their heating bills.

Kalamazoo-area writers Bonnie Jo Campbell and David Small lost in their categories in the prestigious National Book Awards, which were announced Wednesday night in New York.

Courtesy of Downtown Kalamazoo Inc. KALAMAZOO - The holiday season in downtown Kalamazoo officially kicks off Friday with a tree-lighting ceremony in Bronson Park and the opening of Santa's Village .

Kalamazoo is set to open some new territory for walkers and bike riders. At 12:30 Friday leaders will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for the next portion of the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail.

Could you be one of more than 2000 Michigan residents in line for a piece of $2.37 million? It has nothing to do with lottery tickets or being the long-lost relative of someone who has died.

Zachary Rapp, left, and his fiance, Taryne Hochthanner, both 18 and of Kalamazoo, wait Thursday night to see the opening of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" at Rave Cityplace 14 in downtown Kalamazoo.

Unrepentant beer drinkers, rejoice! Each week, Clean Plate Charlie will select one craft or import beer and give you the lowdown on it: How does it taste? What should you drink it with? Where can you find it? But mostly, it's all about the love of the brew.

Authorities on Thursday charged 19-year-old Christopher Allen Lewis of Newark, Del., 20-year-old James Robert Black, Jr., Tumwater, Wash., and 27-year-old Michael Paul Nebel of Kalamazoo, Mich.

An environmental attorney heads to Kalamazoo Thursday to talk about federal energy legislation.

Homeowners can learn inexpensive and simple energy-saving tips from local experts at a free workshop at 6 p.m. today at the Northside Association for Community Development, 612 N. Park St.

The official deadline for the annual Greater Kalamazoo United Way fundraising campaign is Friday, but organizers stress that those who wish to donate are able to do so long after the deadline.

A group considering improvements to Kalamazoo's Milham and Blanche Hull parks will hear the public's ideas for a second time Thursday.

An engineering firm will begin working on designs to improve traffic flow to the Arboretum development on the city's west side.

The trial begins Tuesday for a former youth counselor accused of sexually assaulting one of his residents.

SOUTH HAVEN TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Authorities say a 38-year-old Battle Creek-area woman led police on a high-speed chase at speeds topping 100 mph.

Morning frosts, rains and wind apparently are speeding up the pace of leaves falling and putting Kalamazoo and Portage leaf-pickup crews slightly behind schedule.

More cities are considering adding transgender protections in the wake of a critical vote in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

13-14, 2 p.m. Nov. 15, Nelda K. Balch Playhouse, Kalamazoo College. $15, $10 seniors and students.

The murder trial for a southwestern Michigan couple whose teenage daughter died in a house fire while chained to her bed has been moved from Centreville to Kalamazoo, and will begin Jan.

Since Azim Khamisa came to the Fetzer Institute in early October to tell the tragic story of his son's death at the hand of a 14-year-old gang member, area youth services agencies, educators and community leaders have been talking.

Kalamazoo County has announced its second confirmed H1N1 flu-related death. A woman in her late 20s died at her home on Oct.

Kalamazoo Public Library's bookmobile service, which began in 1956, will be eliminated by June 30 as part of an effort to cut $550,000 from next year's library budget.

The head of the Republican National Committee is coming to West Michigan Thursday.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. The drawings depict a grand proposal, but is the arena a good fit for Kalamazoo? On Wednesday night the community took a hard look at transforming a large block into an $81 million arena.

While in Michigan we took the time to demo the Firelinx Wireless Firing System at opening night of the Kwinks Hockey game.

Vandersalm's-Flipse flower shop in Kalamazoo has been my family's choice for flowers and arrangements for as long as I can remember.

The Kalamazoo County H1N1 flu vaccine clinic scheduled for Friday is expected to be full, so officials have added another clinic to be held Thursday, November 19.

The traffic light at West Main Street and Fletcher Avenue is functioning again and allowing a safe, free flow of traffic, Kalamazoo Township officials said Monday.

Author visits and musical, dance and theatrical performances celebrating Russian culture will be integral to the week-long Kalamazoo-Pushkin Partnership's 14th annual Kalamazoo Russian Festival, which begins this Saturday.

A little bit of good voting news from yesterday: Kalamazoo, MI has added sexual orientation and gender identity to its laws banning discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations.

Jeff and Susanne Remelius had a good life in Tennessee, so they hesitated when Jeff was offered the job of facilities manager for Kalamazoo's Wings Stadium.

The man charged with repairing the financial crisis at Detroit Public Schools praised Kalamazoo voters Saturday for passing the anti-discrimination ordinance, and he urged NAACP members to build a ``more fair future for our youth.'' Robert Bobb, Kalamazoo's first black city manager, made his remarks to several hundred people who attended the ...

The death toll from h1n1 in Kalamazoo County climbed to three this week. On Wednesday, 10-year-old Kamren Blakely died from the disease.

KALAMAZOO COUNTY, Mich. A Kalamazoo County man will face charges in a recent double shooting that left one man dead.

A Marcellus woman is hospitalized after she swerved to avoid a deer and her car struck a tree and rolled over in Van Buren County early Saturday.

Gay-rights ballot issues touch a nerve in Kalamazoo that sends voters to the polls in big numbers.

Kalamazoo investigators have identified the body of a murdered man found in the trunk of a car Thursday afternoon.

Several years ago, Kmart saved Christmas for Carol Jennings. With her husband laid off and little money to spare, Jennings bought presents for her two children using Kmart's layaway plan.

Reports from Kalamazoo, Mich., suggest that a nondiscrimination ordinance to protect the rights of LGBT people drove high voter turnout on Tuesday.

Police late Thursday were investigating a body found inside the trunk of a car on the city's east side, but were releasing little other information.

Voters in Kalamazoo, Michigan, passed an ordinance that bans discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity this Election Day with nearly 62 percent voting in favor of the measure.

Kalamazoo's top political duo will remain unchanged after voters turned out in high numbers Tuesday to return Bobby Hopewell as mayor and Hannah McKinney as vice mayor.

Over the years, Joyce Lynn Jones-Davis has heard a plethora of songs that honor military soldiers.

People might notice vehicles traveling around Kalamazoo County with a new logo on the side.

It took a while, but the gas stations on West Main Street in Kalamazoo finally came down in their price for regular.

Gazette Staff Reports Plenty of family-friendly Halloween activities are planned today, including some that are indoors.

In an incident that one command officer described as ``unique,'' a deer had to be shot by police Tuesday after it struck its head on a building and collapsed in front of a restaurant in downtown Kalamazoo.

With 18 of 19 precincts and all absentee-voter ballots counted, the six incumbents running for re-election to the Kalamazoo City Commission were the top vote-getters. Terry Kuseske was leading among the newcomers vying for seats on the seven-member commission.

Note: Political director Corey Johnson and I will be live-blogging election results tomorrow evening here on the site.

Pam Bennett , candidate for Aurora City Council At-Large in Colorado, came in fourth in field of six candidates for two open seats.

Kalamazoo city voters decisively adopted an ordinance Tuesday that extends anti-discrimination protections to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender individuals.

Opponents of the LGBT non-discrimination ordinance on the ballot Tuesday in Kalamazoo, Michigan launched an ad singling out members of the transgender community to claim that the measure, Ordinance 1856, would allow men to use women's restrooms.

Steve Springsdorf, president of the Greater Kalamazoo YMCA. When the YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo was chosen to spearhead a wellness initiative aimed at changing local public policy, the leadership at the not-for-profit considered it an opportunity to further the wellness movement under way throughout the region.

A Kalamazoo teen who used what looked like a sawed-off shotgun to rob a woman of her purse was sentenced Monday to nine to 25 years in prison.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Western Michigan University board of trustees has adopted a formal statement in support of the administration's effort to create a privately funded medical school at the public university.

The race for Kalamazoo City Commission is a crowded one this election. Seventeen candidates including 6 incumbents are fighting for just 7 seats on the Kalamazoo City Commission.

Note: Political director Corey Johnson and I will be live-blogging election results this evening here on the site.

People younger than 21 who may have consumed alcohol will no longer be automatically required to submit to breath tests or face civil penalties in Kalamazoo.

The city of Kalamazoo is considering a $75,000 incentive loan for a new life-sciences operation that promises to bring 35 new jobs.

Forty-six members of the Kalamazoo Civic Youth Theatre have come together to turn a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day into a toe-tapping, laughter-filled, entertaining couple of hours for theater-goers. Elevator buttons, door knobs and sinks come alive, salesmen and dentists sing and dance and a first-grade classroom moves to the music ...

Ordinance 1856 in Kalamazoo, Michigan is one of three gay rights measures that will be decided in tomorrow's election.

The commercial real estate market is currently a mess, but that could be good news for someone, now that an Italian restaurant and the property it sits on near Kalamazoo, Mich., is on the market for just a dollar.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. A person of interest related to a deadly shooting in Kalamazoo has been identified and taken into custody on other charges, that person was arrested in Battle Creek.

Focus on birds in Kalamazoo The Audubon Society of Kalamazoo is meeting at People's Church, 1758 N. 10th St.