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Big Rapids Daily News - WYBR-FM Big Rapids, MI Today's Hit Music

Chuck Thelen of Gotion Inc. is hosting a “Chat with Chuck” virtual town hall meeting on Monday, April 8, at 6 p.m. to provide residents with an update on the proposed battery components facility in Green Charter Township and answer any questions.

Residents can access the town hall meeting at this link. The “Chat with Chuck” meetings will take place on a monthly basis, and include project announcements, guests from the local community, subject matter experts from Gotion Inc. and other information.

“A virtual town hall meeting is a convenient, easily accessible, way people can get their questions answered about the facility and learn more about the ongoing progress of our project,” said Thelen, vice president of Gotion Inc. – North American Manufacturing. “I’m looking forward to talking with people. The meetings also will be an effective way to reduce misinformation that continues to be spread about the facility.”

Thelen and several officials held a similar virtual panel discussion last year. The video of the meeting was posted on Green Charter Township’s website, but has since been taken down

“People in the region deserve to have access to as much information as possible, and Gotion Inc. will continue to be transparent and open about our efforts,” Thelen said. “A virtual town hall meeting is a great way to allow people to participate in the comfort of their own homes.

United-states , American , Chuck-thelen , Gotion-inc , Green-charter-township , North-american , Radio-station , Ot-adult-contemporary , Dult-contemporary , Ot-ac , C , Op-40

Big Rapids Daily News - WYBR-FM Big Rapids, MI Today's Hit Music

On Sunday, Mar. 31, at approximately 09:04 A.M., deputies from the Mecosta County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a two-vehicle accident at the intersection of 8 Mile Rd. (M-20) & Old-State Rd. in Mecosta Township.

The investigation revealed a 32-year-old female from White Cloud was traveling east bound on 8 Mile Rd approaching Old State Rd. A 27-year-old female from Tustin was travelling north bound on Old State Road, when she proceeded through the stop sign and failed to yield to oncoming east bound traffic. The White Cloud female then hit the Tustin female on the driver side.

Subsequently, the 27-year-old female from Tustin was identified as Catherine Brinks, Brinks died instantly as a result of the injuries she sustained in the collision. The 32-year-old female involved, was transported by Mecosta County EMS to the Big Rapids Hospital for the injuries she sustained in the collision.

Deputies were assisted on scene by Mecosta County EMS, Mecosta Twp Fire / Rescue, Mecosta County Sheriff Posse, Michigan DNR Officers, Mid-Michigan Medical Examiner’s Office, Big Rapids Towing and Meceola Central Dispatch.

Mecosta , Michigan , United-states , Mecosta-county , Big-rapids , Catherine-brinks , Mecosta-county-sheriff-office , Michigan-medical-examiner-office , Mecosta-county-sheriff , White-cloud , Old-state , Old-state-road

Big Rapids Daily News - WYBR-FM Big Rapids, MI Today's Hit Music

Another meeting is on the schedule for the Big Rapids City Commission on Monday. The commission is slated to meet at City Hall at 6:30 P.M tomorrow night to discuss a full agenda.

General business items include resolutions and amendments of the following items:

Resolution awarding bid for the repair of the rip rap on city bridges.

Awarding bids for 2024 construction season maintenance
materials and equipment.

Awarding bid for the paving of the Dial-A-Ride parking lot.

Resolution amending fiscal year 2023/2024 general appropriations for Dial- A-Ride parking lot paving.

Amending the Charles E. Fairman Swimming Pool fee schedule.

Resolution adopting the 2024/2030 Capital Improvement Plan.

Amending the City of Big Rapids city code to amend section 94.25
central business district sidewalk occupancy permits.

Resolution on mayoral appointments to boards and commissions.

Ordinance amending of chapter 71 of the Big Rapids code of ordinances regarding parking violations.

The meeting will also include the introduction of Jeffrey Auguste from Our Brother’s Keeper, an audit report from CPA Peter Haefner of Vredeveld Haefner LLC., and a social district update from Director of Community Development Michelle Stenger.

All city commission meetings are available to the public.

For more information, visit cityofbr.org.

Michelle-stenger , Peter-haefner , Charlese-fairman , Jeffrey-auguste , Vredeveld-haefner , Community-development , Big-rapids-city-commission-on , Big-rapids-city-commission , City-hall , Swimming-pool , Big-rapids , Radio-station

Big Rapids Daily News - WYBR-FM Big Rapids, MI Today's Hit Music

The Ferris State University softball team battled nationally seventh-ranked rival Grand Valley State to a pair of one-run games at home on Friday (March 29), beating the Lakers in the opener at the FSU Softball Field.

The two West Michigan rivals fought to identical 2-1 scores with FSU winning the opener before the Lakers pulled out the win in the nightcap for the split.

In the opener, Grand Valley State was held to a single run on two hits as senior ace Aryn Gallacher put together a great performance in the circle while being aided by strong defensive play. She struck out four and walked only one in the victory.

The Bulldogs scored the first two runs of hte game in the bottom of the third on RBI's from Abby Meyer and Jadyn Joseph. GVSU answered with a single run in the sixth, but could not find the equalizer.

Ferris State had four hits overall, including hits from Meyer along with Ella McDonald, Emma Gillard and Maddie Gkekas. FSU held the Lakers to only two hits.

In game two, the Lakers tallied 13 hits, but could manage only two runs. However, the Lakers again held the Bulldogs to four hits and FSU totaled only a single run.

Grand Valley State scored in the fourth to break the scoreless tie before Ferris State responded with a single run in the bottom of the sixth to knot the game back up. The contest went to extra innings and GVSU put a run on the board in the eighth to pull out the win.

Gillard had two hits and tripled for the Bulldogs in addition to driving in FSU's only run while Ferris State also got hits from Alexis Kozlowski along with Brooklyn Verbeek.

In the circle, the Bulldog combination of Ashley Webb and Izabella Regner combined to allow only two runs on 13 hits with three strikeouts and a walk.

GVSU's Genesis Eggart earned the game two win, striking out three and walking three in going the distance.

The Bulldogs will visit Davenport on Saturday (March 30) for a league doubleheader in Caledonia. First pitch for game one has been pushed back to 2 p.m. (ET) with game two set for approximately 4 p.m. (ET).

Caledonia , Michigan , United-states , Grand-valley , Ferris-state-university , Maddie-gkekas , Izabella-regner , Abby-meyer , Ashley-webb , Alexis-kozlowski , Brooklyn-verbeek , Ella-mcdonald

Big Rapids Daily News - WYBR-FM Big Rapids, MI Today's Hit Music

Monday, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II joined the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI) and announced the start of the State Challenge Process, encouraging Michiganders to help identify locations across the state that are eligible for high-speed internet infrastructure expansion through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.

“Every Michigander deserves access to affordable, fast internet so they can connect to online learning, healthcare, and economic opportunity,” said Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “As Michigan sets the stage to connect more homes, businesses, and communities, the BEAD state challenge process will help us deploy resources more effectively. I encourage every Michigander to visit the portal and tell us about unserved or underserved locations. Governor Whitmer and I are proud of our work to connect tens of thousands of locations to affordable, fast internet, and we will continue working alongside the team at the Michigan High Speed Internet Office to connect every Michigan community.”

This past June, the Biden Administration announced that Michigan is receiving a historic $1.559 billion funding allocation for its BEAD program—the fourth highest in the nation. Now through the State Challenge Process, MIHI will identify unserved and underserved homes, businesses and institutions in the state to ensure they can get connected to high-speed internet through the BEAD program.

Current state maps of internet service are based on existing information from federal and state sources. However, through the State Challenge Process, the state is inviting stakeholders to verify the accuracy of current maps and submit additional information, or “challenges,” where they are incorrect.

Challenges will be accepted March 25 through April 23 through an interactive State Challenge Portal. That portal is now open for eligible participants to submit challenges on whether their home, business or institution is accurately represented as being served or not. Local units of government, Tribal governments, non-profit organizations and internet service providers are eligible challengers and will need to register for an account to participate in the State Challenge Process. Individual Michiganders do not need an account but can still provide information about service issues they may be experiencing with getting high-speed internet at their location or with their existing service.

Once the State Challenge Portal closes, MIHI will review each challenge to ensure no eligible locations are left out of Michigan’s BEAD program.

“The MIHI team is excited for this next chapter in Michigan’s BEAD program to help us reach universal availability in the State,” said Eric Frederick, Michigan’s chief connectivity officer. “We encourage local units of government, Tribal governments, non-profit organizations, internet service providers and every Michigander to visit the online challenge portal and participate in the State Challenge Process to ensure every location is accounted for in Michigan’s BEAD program.”

For more information on how to participate in the State BEAD Challenge Process and to submit a challenge, visit Michigan.gov/BEADChallenge.

Michigan , United-states , Eric-frederick , Biden-administration , Michigan-high-speed-internet-office , Speed-internet-office , Garlin-gilchrist , State-challenge-process , Broadband-equity , Lieutenant-governor-garlin-gilchrist , State-challenge , Individual-michiganders

Big Rapids Daily News - WYBR-FM Big Rapids, MI Today's Hit Music

Scott Barla has traveled many rewarding paths as a golf professional and the 1994 graduate of Ferris State University’s Professional Golf Management program claimed his latest honor from the PGA Indiana section receiving its Teacher of the Year award.

Barla has nearly 30 years in professional roles, serving as a Class A golf instructor in Illinois, Michigan and Indiana, an equipment company representative and a stint as a merchandising professional for the PGA championship and Ryder Cup events. Barla now is the successful owner and director of instruction of Barla Golf Academy in Noblesville, Indiana, just north of Indianapolis.

“One of my early and very rewarding teaching experiences was helping establish the Midnight Golf Program in Detroit, working with founder Renee Fluker,” Barla said. “This great program introduces inner-city youngsters to golf, as an inspiration to follow personal and academic pursuits. I have given individual lessons throughout my career, so my wife and I decided the academy would be a way to apply top-flight instruction and technology, to benefit players of all ages through our indoor facility.”

Beyond efforts in youth instruction, which has included high school coaching, support of First Tee, a program mixing golf lessons with social skills learning and his current role as a PGA Junior League host at his academy, Barla is proud to be involved with PGA HOPE, for Help Our Patriots Everywhere.

The program has a six-to-eight-week curriculum, with 90-minute sessions where veterans and active military personnel learn the game, but also gain a greater sense of well-being. The sessions are offered without cost and begin in April.

Receiving the Teacher of the Year Award from the Indiana PGA section caps a fulfilling five-year stretch for Scott. The award was presented in late February in a ceremony in Muncie.

“I received the Indiana PGA Player Development Award in 2019 and I was honored to have the Ferris PGM Alumni Association select me for the Bill Strausbaugh Excellence in Teaching Award in 2022,” Barla said. “I believe the regional prestige of Ferris’ Professional Golf Management program was influential in my receiving the Indiana PGA’s #GameChanger Award last year, and the recent Teacher of the Year Award.”

Finally, teaching young people and others the game has brought Scott rewards beyond trophies and business success.

”Junior golfers and high schoolers in my area have expressed interest in a career as a golf professional,” Barla said. “As a University Alumni board member, I am proud my current intern from Noblesville High School has chosen to pursue his dream at my alma mater, after I took him and his father on a tour of the Ferris campus.

It is gratifying to encourage competitive golfers, along with those looking to focus their talents on a lifelong association with the game. I am committed in my role with golf’s resurgence and my facility and staff are dedicated to offering our energies and expertise every day.”

Barla was one of ten 2024 Indiana PGA award winners and the field included 1984 Ferris Professional Golf Management alumnus Roger Lundy, who received the section’s Youth Player Development Award for the third time in his career.

“I considered Roger a great friend, as we collaborated on PGA HOPE at the Highland Golf and Country Club for several years,” Barla said. “Though we were on opposite sides of the Indianapolis metro area, I knew of Lundy’s service as a coach at Manchester University and Franklin College. As a tribute to Roger’s service, as he died suddenly in late October, our section’s Junior Leader Award will now be known as the Roger Lundy Youth Player Development Award.”

*Image provided by Scott Barla.

Detroit , Michigan , United-states , Muncie , Indiana , Illinois , Ferris-state-university , Noblesville-high-school , Renee-fluker , Scott-barla , Roger-lundy , Manchester-university

Big Rapids Daily News - WYBR-FM Big Rapids, MI Today's Hit Music

On Monday, Mar. 25 at approximately 4:04 P.M., deputies from the Mecosta County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a two-vehicle personal injury accident at the intersection of Northland Dr. & Old-State Rd. in Mecosta Township.

The investigation revealed that two females, a 20-year-old female driver from Rockford and her 18-year-old female passenger from Trufant, were heading northbound on Old-State Rd. approaching Northland Dr. As the two females advanced onto Northland Drive, they failed to yield to oncoming southbound traffic and was struck by a 74-year-old female from Stanwood traveling southbound.

The Rockford female was transported by Mecosta County EMS to Butterworth Hospital. The Trufant female was transported by Mecosta County EMS to the Big Rapids Hospital. The Stanwood female was transported by Mecosta County EMS to the Big Rapids Hospital. All 3 injured females did not have any life threatening injuries.

Deputies were assisted on scene by, Mecosta County EMS, Big Rapids City Fire / Rescue, Auto Hook Towing and Meceola Central Dispatch.

Mecosta-county-sheriff-office , Mecosta-county-sheriff , Northland-drive , Mecosta-county , Big-rapids , Big-rapids-city-fire , Auto-hook-towing , Meceola-central , Radio-station , Ot-adult-contemporary , Dult-contemporary

Big Rapids Daily News - WYBR-FM Big Rapids, MI Today's Hit Music

The Ferris State University men's and women's track and field squads opened outdoor season action over the weekend (March 22-23), competing at the Lee University Invitational in Cleveland, Tenn.

The Bulldogs had a selected number of student-athletes take part in the opening event of the outdoor season.

FSU's Aaron Pierce won the long jump (20-9) while Devin Dennison took third in the hammer throw (165-9). Cooper Sorsen placed fifth in the 10,000 meters (31:23.81) while Brendan Cairney came in seventh in the same race (32:03.31).

Hunter Richardson placed 10th in the shot put (39-11.25) on the men's end with Blaine Rogers 11th in the 110-meter hurdles (15.82).

For the women, FSU's Claudia Wilkinson came in fourth in the high jump (5-2.25) while Nyah Tyron came in fourth in the 400-meter hurdles (1:06.99).

Rebecca Marvin was fifth in the discus (109-11), seventh in the shot put (36-6.25) and 16th in the hammer throw (127-10).

FSU's Angela Kotecki took sixth place in the 400 hurdles (1:12.14) and Abigail Winkle wound up sixth in the 400 meters (59.55) while Daisey Englund finished ninth in the 800 meters (2:23.12) with Ella Kowatch 13th in the event (2:25.04).

Hanna Brock was 11th in the 5,000 meters (17:43.00) while Isabel Dziadzio finished 12th in the javelin (82-9). Lacey Zimmerman was 15th in the 100 meters (12.70) and Whitney Farrell placed 16th in the 5,000 meters (17:58.10).

The Bulldogs will head to the Hilltopper Relays March 29-30 in Louisville, Ky.

Visit the link below for complete meet results:
https://live.xpresstiming.com/meets/32222/teams/794298

Lacey-zimmerman , Hanna-brock , Angela-kotecki , Aaron-pierce , Blaine-rogers , Daisey-englund , Brendan-cairney , Cooper-sorsen , Devin-dennison , Whitney-farrell , Hunter-richardson

Big Rapids Daily News - WYBR-FM Big Rapids, MI Today's Hit Music

Ferris State University is partnering with BAMF Health, a world leader in molecular imaging and theranostics headquartered in Grand Rapids, to provide students with in-demand skills in a rapidly changing field and support the company’s trailblazing work.

BAMF, which stands for Bold Advanced Medical Future, started in 2018 and uses the most advanced AI-enabled technology to detect and treat cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, heart disease, and more.

Leaders from BAMF Health and Ferris State on Friday signed an agreement pledging to explore collaboration in a variety of areas to grow and enhance Michigan’s workforce. The goal is to support the growing theranostics field in the state by providing in-demand skills for Ferris State students and continuing education opportunities for BAMF Health employees at all levels.

This collaboration has strong support from several Michigan state legislators including House Speaker Joe Tate. Speaker Tate, along with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, are committed to growing Michigan’s knowledge economy through public-private partnerships such as this. Speaker Tate was on hand for the signing ceremony at Ferris State’s David L. Eisler Center.

The Ferris State – BAMF Health partnership includes creating certification programs for Quality Control/Assurance and Regulatory Affairs, and Nuclear Medicine Technologists. Areas of focus also include creating student experiences and research opportunities and looking at ways to improve patient experience and program thinking.

Ferris State President Bill Pink said there is already a strong connection between the two, as many Ferris State and Kendall College for Art and Design of Ferris State University alumni play key roles on the BAMF Health team.

“Ferris State, throughout its nearly 140-year history, has partnered with leaders in many fields to help our students gain valuable, in-demand skills and grow a talented workforce,” Ferris State President Bill Pink said. “We are especially proud to work with BAMF Health, an innovative organization that is committed to finding new ways to tackle some of society’s most pressing healthcare challenges. Our students will have unimaginable opportunities to be a part of impactful work, and we can help BAMF Health employees gain new skills to help them advance in their careers.”

BAMF Health is revolutionizing precision medicine and theranostics by leveraging the most advanced imaging technology to detect and treat cancer and other devastating diseases. The company is also a leading clinical trials site for testing new diagnostic tools and therapies developed by radiopharmaceutical companies around the world.

“BAMF Health has ushered in a new frontier of medicine and is pushing the limits of what’s possible,” said BAMF Health CEO Dr. Anthony Chang. “We need new talent with advanced skillsets to make precision medicine accessible and affordable for all. Strategic partnerships with academic centers like Ferris State help us to curate this next generation of talent who will do what we never thought possible.”

The company is planning to work with Ferris State’s College of Pharmacy and other programs to train current employees as well as work with Ferris State students looking to enter the field.

This partnership connects so many dots for our university’s numerous stakeholders,” Provost Bobby Fleischman said. “From our alumni working at BAMF Health, to our students and faculty who will work together at the company’s cutting-edge facility, this represents one of our strategic pillars—and, that is, innovation. Taken together with our applied learning approach to instruction, it distinguishes Ferris graduates from others as they graduate to the tech-focused workforce in West Michigan and throughout the state”.

Kasey Thompson, Ferris State’s special assistant to the president for innovation and entrepreneurship, said the collaboration with BAMF is a perfect example of how the university can work with partners in new ways, building a talented workforce here in Michigan.

“It’s exciting to think about the impactful work that will transpire through this collaboration,” said Dr. Kasey Thompson, an associate professor and special assistant to the president for innovation and entrepreneurship. “Bringing together the expertise of Ferris State faculty and the innovative team at BAMF will create opportunities that we are still imagining.”

Grand-rapids , Michigan , United-states , Ferris-state-university , Kasey-thompson , Gretchen-whitmer , Anthony-chang , Joe-tate , Bobby-fleischman , Design-of-ferris-state-university , Nuclear-medicine-technologists , Regulatory-affairs

Big Rapids Daily News - WYBR-FM Big Rapids, MI Today's Hit Music

Gotion Inc. today announced that extensive environment studies done from the fall of 2022 until this week on its Green Charter Township property found absolutely no evidence of an eagle nest or eagle activity.

Barr Engineering Co., a top-tier engineering and environmental consulting firm with an office in Grand Rapids, performed the independent studies on 252 acres of the property’s mature forested area. The evaluations “identified no bald eagle nests or nesting activities.”

Misinformation quickly spread on social media after an area resident trespassed on Gotion’s property, took several photos of a small nest, and posted them on social media claiming the nest was an eagle nest.

“Protecting and preserving our environment continues to be a top concern for Gotion Inc. as we move forward with our battery components facility in Green Charter Township,” said Chuck Thelen, vice president of Gotion Inc. – North American Manufacturing. “And safeguarding our environment also means ensuring the protection of our state’s beautiful and diverse wildlife.

“It’s our understanding that two elected officials have contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the issue,” Thelen said. “Gotion Inc. welcomes and invites USFWS officials on our property at any time so they can also verify there are no eagle nests on our property.”

In an attempt to stop the ongoing misinformation, Thelen said he is willing to give a representative from the opposition group a personal tour of the property to check for eagle nests.

“We realize most people who still oppose our facility don't try to distort the truth in any way, which is greatly appreciated,” Thelen said. “But the simple truth is that a small minority of people within this opposition group continue to deliberately spread misinformation.

“Gotion has contracted with an environmental company to evaluate the site for species present that range from ants to zebras. The report repeatedly shows there are no endangered or protected species on the site,” Thelen said. “The most recent extremist hoax executed by pathological liars has again manipulated my community into outrage using fabrications specifically designed to destroy the community. The good and honest people in our area must speak out against such blatant and continuous disrespect from these extremists. I am sick of them making my community the laughingstock of our great nation.

"The American bald eagle is a symbol of freedom,” Thelen said. “If eagles ever decide to nest on our property, we would defend it and preserve it with the attention that our national symbol deserves. No self-respecting American would use our American symbols of freedom to promote fear and bigotry."

United-states , American , Chuck-thelen , Wildlife-service , Barr-engineering-co , Gotion-inc , Green-charter-township , Grand-rapids , North-american , Radio-station , Ot-adult-contemporary , Dult-contemporary