Good morning, Grand Rapids.

After all the NWS announcements on social, sirens, and mobile alerts, I thought we’d really be in for a wild storm last night.

But all I witnessed was about 5 minutes of wind and a little rain. Did you see anything more than that where you were?

~LeQwane L.

Planning to see the 4th of July fireworks show downtown this year? Well, heads up, there’s a new location.

Due to construction staging for the Grand River Revitalization project at the Ah Nab Awen Park, this year’s fireworks will launch from the Fulton St. Bridge, while the main viewing area will be at the Amway Hotel employee parking lot (51 Market Ave.).

Some other details worth knowing:

As always, the event is free and open to the public. You can learn more here.

A briefing of local news that matters

Safety

After a round of interviews earlier this week, the city of Grand Rapids has announced 4 finalists in the running to be the next GR Police Chief. There will be a meet and greet and a public forum at City Hall on June 17th, if you want to engage the candidates with questions. | Submit questions online or get more information

Real Estate

Earlier this month, Corewell Health purchased 3 new properties near its headquarters downtown. The properties sit next to the company’s staff housing complex development in Ottawa. The company has acquired ~$10M of property downtown and in the River North Business District since 2020. | Learn more

Transit

Yesterday, the Uptown Business District announced it’s launching “Summer Shuttle Saturdays” - a program that’ll provide continuous rides from Uptown to Downtown free of charge on Saturdays. The program starts on June 20th. | Learn about the program

Have news to report? Click here.

🦅 Gerald R. Ford Offers Free Admission

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is set to offer free admission and activities on the 4th of July. The admission will allow you to visit every exhibit and space in the museum from 10 AM - 5 PM.

⚽ World Cup Themed Scavenger Hunt Downtown

The World Cup is all the hype right now, and over 20+ businesses in Downtown have teamed up to create an “Around The World Downtown Scavenger Hunt”. Participants can win prizes from Gazelle Spots, AC GR (our soon-to-be pro soccer team), and other local businesses.

🥟 Michigan "I Voted" Sticker Contest

Remember those cool werewolf and backwards “I Voted” stickers from 2024? Michigan launched a new contest to pick the design of its next set of stickers. 2,000+ Elementary, middle, and high school students, and Michiganders submitted designs. You can vote on your favorites here - voting ends June 30th.

Pop Mart, a popular character, collectible, and figurine store, has opened its newest location at Woodland Mall

The Creston Neighborhood has a new, fresh food market - with years in the making, Georgie’s Farm Market is a non-profit grocer that’ll offer fresh produce at affordable prices

Mai’s Thai, a rather notable Thai restaurant on the NE side of town, announced that it’s closing for good.

Following a bankruptcy and an asset purchase by a larger restaurant group, On The Border is closing all its corporate-owned locations. Right now, the Grandville location is the only confirmed closure.

Speaking of the World Cup… I made a guide of some local businesses that are hosting World Cup watch parties over the next few weeks.

If you’re going to go out and watch the matches with our friends, why not go local?

*Shows are subject to change, but that’s show biz.

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