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Tiny houses, big impact: Gwendolyn Hooker’s housing vision in Kalamazoo
As Helping Other People Exceed (HOPE) continued to grow, one issue kept appearing: many people had jobs and income but still could not find landlords willing to rent to them because of past criminal records.
Many were couch surfing, sleeping in cars, or moving from one temporary situation to another.
Eventually Founder and CEO Gwendolyn Hooker said, the solution became clear.
“If people aren’t going to rent to the population that I serve,” she said, “then I’m just going to build my own houses.”
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Watershed Voice is an independent, nonprofit civic news magazine based in Three Rivers, Michigan. We seek to highlight solutions to your pressing concerns in an effort to make our community a better place.
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Sturgis provides storm aid to neighbors, approves arts center entryway project
The City of Sturgis suffered very little damage from the storms. City staff reported during Monday’s meeting that minor damage occurred at the city’s hydroelectric facility, where a unit was knocked offline.
“It went right over the dam,” one city staff member said during the meeting.
Sturgis’ most significant involvement following the storm came through the aid and resources it provided to neighboring communities.
Three Rivers residents recount moments before and after Friday’s EF-2 tornado
The storm was among the fiercest to strike Three Rivers in recent memory. Despite the destruction, residents across the city rushed to support one another before, during, and after.
‘We heard our neighbors needed help’: Local electricians union aids cleanup effort following Three Rivers tornado
On Sunday, March 10, around 30 IBEW workers, including representatives of KEI electrical construction and Perkins Electric, gathered in Three Rivers to provide free, professional support to those in need.
“We heard our neighbors needed help cleaning up after the storm, so I decided to ask my union brothers and sisters to come lend a hand,” IBEW 131 President Eddie Leboeuf said.
Keep Your Voice Down: The days after
Keep Your Voice Down hosts Alek Haak-Frost and Doug Sears Jr. discuss Alek’s experience during the tornado that touched down in Three Rivers last week and the days that followed. Alek describes how the community has come together, what he did and felt as the tornado went through his neighborhood, the humanity, empathy, and care on display as Three Rivers picks up the pieces, and how disheartening it was to witness the vulturous intent of some contractors in the immediate aftermath of the storm.
Three Rivers High School students to bring the world of “The Little Mermaid” to life onstage
About 35 students are involved in the production this year, director Jennifer Miller said, filling roles both onstage and behind the scenes. Some students perform as actors, singers and dancers, while others manage technical elements such as sound, lighting and props.
“What I love is how diverse their contributions are,” Miller wrote. “It’s a whole ecosystem of student talent, and everybody has found a place where they belong.”
Michigan voter group turns in 750K signatures for “citizens-only” voting amendment
On Wednesday afternoon, Americans for Citizen Voting submitted roughly 750,000 petition signatures — more than 300,000 above the 446,198 valid signatures required, or 10% of the votes cast for governor in the previous election cycle — to place the measure before voters in November 2026.
If approved by voters, the amendment would add language to the Michigan Constitution stating that only U.S. citizens may vote in state and local elections, require voters to present photo identification before casting a ballot, and direct state officials to conduct additional verification of voter rolls to remove non-citizens.
