Good morning, Grand Rapids. I’m LeQwane and this is Calder News.

A quick and easy way to get updated on what’s happening in town on a cold Wednesday.

Wishing you a great rest of the week.

Let’s get right into it.

~LeQwane L.

Together with: Smallegan Real Estate

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A briefing of local news that matters

City

Odd–even parking went into effect over a month ago, and the city is slinging out tickets. GR has issued more than 250 tickets since Nov. 1 with ~32 of those coming after last weekend’s snowfall. If you’re doing any street parking in city limits, make sure you’re on the right side of the road! | Learn more

Education

GRPS and its teachers’ union have reached a tentative two-year contract that includes a pay raise from $2,000 to $10,000+, plus retroactive payments if the deal is approved. The agreement also adds planning time, updates evaluations, and improves benefits for our teachers. To get approved, the deal is being sent to the Board of Education and union members for a final vote. | Learn more

Transit

Not a fun one to cover, but MDOT has closed the ramp from westbound I-196 to southbound US-131 after a pretty bad semi-truck crash on Tuesday. And repairs will keep it shut down through April 30th. | Read more for recommended detour info

Civil News

The Grand Rapids City Commission meeting took place yesterday.

Here’s a quick look at some things that were covered:

🚧 MLK Bridge Reconstruction Agreement → The city approved an agreement to commit $1.4M for MDOT to rebuild the MLK Jr. Street bridge over US-131 and its rail lines.

🏭 Business + Incentives → Falk was provided approval to build its new factory in Walker and also received support for a 12-year tax exemption for its planned $8.9M expansion project.

🏙 Redevelopments → The Commission reviewed an amendment to the Brownfield Plan for the 125 Ottawa redevelopment project downtown.

🏡 Seeds of Promise Redevelopment → Spoke on a major Brownfield Plan amendment covering 13 parcels in the Seeds of Promise area on the Southeast Side, setting the stage for long-term redevelopment.

You can view the full meeting here.

🚌 New City Bus Routes

The Rapid is extending routes into Walker. Route 34 is now a part of the public transportation’s normal schedule. The route runs from Central Station (Downtown GR) to Fruit Ridge Avenue and 4 Mile Road.

📡 New Radio Station Launches

Sports Radio 98.7 launched on Monday. The radio station will focus on local professional and college-level sports teams. The station is Townsquare Media’s spin-off of its previous 98.7WFGR station.

Talking Shop

👩‍🦱 Dimepiece → A new luxury salon with an independent stylist and in-house haircare products is hosting its grand opening tomorrow (Dec. 4th)

🏭 Safari Circuits → The previously doomed manufacturing plant, LaCroix, was just acquired by a larger firm called Safari Circuits. The acquisition will keep the plant alive and even bring on new employees.

View our events calendar

And on Sunday, a free live music Night of Worship with Aaron Boyd is happening at North Park Baptist Church.

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

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