The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners discussed the possibility of returning to in-person meetings after Tuesday’s virtual meeting was interrupted by internet trolls in a practice called “Zoombombing” or “Zoom raiding.” Unidentified persons briefly hurled racist and homophobic epithets at commissioners and those in attendance before Chairperson Dennis Allen temporarily stopped the meeting.
Author: Alek Haak-Frost
Doug and Alek are joined by Watershed Voice columnist, local author & psychotherapist Charles Thomas to discuss Taylor Swift pulling a Prince, Mark Cuban’s decision to temporarily stop playing the National Anthem before Dallas Mavericks games, and coping with mental health issues in the midst of a global pandemic.
The Three Rivers Police Department responded to two separate incidents of motor vehicle theft this week, both of which resulted in the recovery of the vehicles in question.
St. Joseph County Prosecutor Dave Marvin addressed the St. Joseph County Commission’s executive committee Wednesday concerning an exception to the county’s hiring freeze, a request Marvin has submitted more than once during his first two months in office in an effort to get his house in order.
Doug and Alek are joined by Layne Deuel (Spartans, Wolverines, and Beards Podcast) to discuss Smartmatic’s $2.7 billion lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch and Fox News, their favorite Matthew Stafford memories, the triumphant return of the NCAA Football video game franchise, and MLB The Show’s upcoming debut on Xbox.
Longtime Executive Secretary Pat Kulikowski is retiring after “nearly 34 years” of service for St. Joseph County. As a result of Kulikowski’s impending retirement, the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved a request for an exception to the county’s hiring freeze from County Administrator Teresa Doehring to fill the vacancy.
The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners and the Three Rivers City Commission will both hold regular meetings as planned this evening, Tuesday, February 2. Read this local meetings primer for what to expect.
During an appearance on The Michigan Left with Andrew George last week Dr. Abdul El-Sayed said Americans could see a return to normalcy from the pandemic as early as this summer. With that said, Sayed believes “normal” is too small a bar to hurdle, and shouldn’t be part of the United States’ endgame.
The Three Rivers Public Library Board will meet at 6 p.m. tonight, Tuesday, January 26 via Zoom, to discuss a variety of topics, including a potential lease agreement with the Three Rivers Woman’s Club.
A 53-year-old Kalamazoo woman was transported to the hospital Monday after she rear-ended a tractor in Colon Township, according to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department.
Doug and Alek are joined by Malachi “A+scribe” Carter(The Unapologetics Podcast) who shares his thoughts on Lady Gaga’s Hunger Games-esque Inauguration outfit, President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party’s lengthy track record of exploiting Black people for political gain, and why Hamilton is problematic. The trio also gush over the powerful performance and presence of National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, and share the biggest holes in their respective cinematic repertoires.
With the help of his sister Barbara Humes, who is retired after 31 years with IAC Mendon and has been baking and catering just as long, Ralph Humes resurrected R. Stanley’s, which used to call 618 South Main Street home some 20 years ago as a dine-in and takeout spot. R. Stanley’s returned this week in the form of a pop-up diner, operating out of Venue 45 in downtown Three Rivers, making family meals to-go.
The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved a budget amendment Tuesday to set aside $10,000 to fund additional COVID-19 vaccination clinics, should the need arise in the coming weeks and months. The allocation of funds would support Covered Bridge Healthcare in COVID-19 vaccine distributions for first and second round dosing.
The Three Rivers City Commission approved the hiring of former Kalamazoo City Clerk Stephen French to fill its clerk vacancy left by Melissa Bliss, who left the city for a deputy clerk position with St. Joseph County earlier this month.
After a lengthy discussion Tuesday, the commission and city staff were satisfied with French’s explanation of his checkered past.
A 46-year-old Three Rivers man and a 22-year-old Constantine man are in custody for possession with intent to distribute narcotics following a routine traffic stop Monday night.
Doug and Alek are joined by I Can Marvel All Day co-host & Watershed Voice’s self-appointed director of marketing Michael “Hogey” Hogoboom. The trio talks about the Wilmington Insurrection of 1898, Green Day’s 2020 album that Hogey calls “American Idiot Part 2” but “too spicy for radio,” as well as how they plan to observe MLK Day. (Recorded on Saturday, January 16)
WARNING: This episode contains strong language, and what some may consider emotionally difficult material.
COVID-19 certainly wasn’t going to stop the Three Rivers Area Faith Community from celebrating the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., but the annual event will look dramatically different this year.
Doug and Alek return for Season 2 of Keep Your Voice Down after a lengthy hiatus to talk about last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol building, and to gush about the wide variety of talent present on the Watershed Voice Podcast Network. The duo also discusses the media that impacted them the most in 2020.