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Hosted by the Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative, the event — “Women in Media: Behind the Headlines” — featured professionals from print, radio, nonprofit and academic media backgrounds who reflected on both the progress women have made in the industry and the barriers that remain. The panel included Sue Ellen Christian, professor at Western Michigan University’s School of Communication and former Chicago Tribune reporter; Sehvilla Mann, news director at WMUK Public Radio; Kristie May, managing editor at NowKalamazoo; Aya Miller, reporter at MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette; and Theresa Coty O’Neil, managing editor at Second Wave Media. The discussion was moderated by Marie Lee, editor and publisher of Encore Magazine.

Watershed Voice columnist Charles Thomas writes, “Why is lack of sleep such a big problem? Because sleep is critical to our health and wellbeing! While we don’t know exactly what the purpose of sleep is, there are many theories around why we humans spend a third of our lives sleeping. “Sleep allows our bodies to heal and our tissues to be restored during a period of rest. It also helps us consolidate our memories of the day, and regulate our moods. There is research that suggests sleep helps us tolerate pain better, and it can help remove cellular garbage in the brain called amyloids, which are linked to Alzheimer’s disease.”

Some high schoolers miss school because they have been “parentified,” kept home to look after younger siblings while a parent works. Others hold down jobs to help support the family. Others “just don’t want to be here,” Bangor High School Principal Tammy Wilson says. School attendance secretary Hailey Marbut grew up in the area, where school takes a back seat for many teens in families barely scraping by. “They aren’t looking to the future and thinking of, ‘What could I do, where could I go, who could I be?’” she says. “They’re just trying to survive.”

May election season is upon us, and while the ballots may seem light, their local impact is anything but.  The Tuesday, May 5 special election in Michigan features relatively few races in most communities, with many ballots focused on school bond proposals, millage renewals and local questions rather than candidate contests. Still, these lower-turnout elections often decide issues that hit closest to home — from school building upgrades to tax levies and city charter changes.

“It starts with the chairperson who has made it obvious to me in the last two years that he does not want to find a workable solution,” Assistant Drug Prosecutor Ken Stecker said. Chair Jeremiah Jones immediately interrupted him. “I’m gonna hold you up right there, man, and I’m gonna subtract that from your time and you can have your full three minutes,” Jones said. “But from you right now till anybody else that wants to come up, if you talk to anybody specifically, it’s off limits and I’m gonna end it.”  Jones added he would turn off the mics of anyone who uses personal attacks at any of the commissioners.  “I’m not gonna be intimidated by you,” Stecker responded before continuing. The back-and-forth highlighted the strain between the prosecutor’s office and some commissioners, tensions that prosecutors said have been building for months.

In March, commissioners were asked to approve use of $249,192 from the Bombardie bequest to help close a funding gap in the park improvement project, which was initially denied in a 4-4 vote. In a 5-3 vote on April 9, commissioners reversed course and approved the request. The Bombardie bequest stems from a donation made more than two decades ago by Charles Bombardie, who left 10% of his estate to Cass County Parks. County documents say $249,192 remained in the fund before Thursday’s vote, with the money restricted for park purposes.  During Thursday’s discussion, Commissioner Samuel Barrera read from the last will and testament of Charles Bombardie, dated 2001, and argued the county should honor the donor’s intent by using the money for park improvements.