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Kalamazoo

Keep Your Voice Down: To begin with, everything

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Keep Your Voice Down
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February 19, 2026

WMUK's Gordon Evans stopped by Keep Your Voice Down this week to discuss his career in public radio, the state of journalism, how it's changed, where it's headed, and what gives him hope about the industry he's dedicated his life to. Other topics include the quotability of Almost Famous, news anchors of yesteryear and the glaring absence of such figures in 2026, U.S. women's hockey, and whether Doug Sears Jr.'s dad actually skipped class to watch the Miracle on Ice in 1980.

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Latest in Kalamazoo
Drew Duncan says policy saved his life — now he’s shaping it
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Kalamazoo
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February 18, 2026

“My life was saved because of the Affordable Care Act,” Kalamazoo City Commissioner and Vice Mayor Drew Duncan said. “Without it, I would not have received care.” Now 36, Duncan sees that period — when he was diagnosed in late 2009 and underwent treatment through 2011 — as foundational. It was the moment policy stopped being abstract. “I have a story that is like many people — but maybe not a story people would expect,” he said. “I try to enter the room with a listening posture. I see urgency around the issues that are plaguing my constituents.”

Kalamazoo City Commission tables Safe Routes to School contract amid public pushback
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Kalamazoo
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February 17, 2026

Commissioners voted unanimously to table the item and revisit it at a future meeting. City staff said they plan to prepare additional information, including visuals, and hold a meeting to gather resident feedback before returning to the commission. “If we postpone it to one more meeting, it’s not going to have a delay on receiving the funds,” Commissioner Jae Slaby said. “It will not jeopardize these funds. It will not jeopardize the contract. So why not just have the due diligence done and send the message to the community that we are hearing their concerns?”

Monoform to show ‘Ganja & Hess,’ a pivotal film in Black cinema
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Culture
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February 11, 2026

Often regarded as a landmark in the history of Black cinema, Ganja & Hess (1973) uses vampirism as a metaphor for “Black assimilation and identity, white cultural imperialism, addiction, desire, and the hypocrisies of organized religion,” Monoform Cinema wrote on its website.

KDPS chief says Flock cameras not used for immigration enforcement as residents raise concerns
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Kalamazoo
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February 4, 2026

Multiple speakers, including members of the advocacy group We the People, urged commissioners to remove the cameras and asked city leaders to state they would not assist federal immigration officers if they came to Kalamazoo. In response, Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Chief David Boysen described how the department uses Flock cameras and outlined what he said are prohibited uses of the technology.

Michigan mental health service shift blocked by Court of Claims
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News
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February 3, 2026

The dispute began last fall, when the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a request that would have consolidated Michigan’s 10 Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans (PIHPs) regions—funded primarily through Medicaid behavioral health dollars—into three “super-regions.” Regional PIHPs later learned that they, as the current providers, were excluded from bidding because they are statutorily restricted to operating within their designated regions. The PIHPs filed a lawsuit, arguing the RFP violated Michigan law and threatened locally administered mental health care that has existed since the 1990s.

After nearly seven-hour meeting, Kalamazoo City Commission votes to preserve Asylum Lake
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Kalamazoo
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January 27, 2026

Residents spoke for nearly three hours during the public hearing portion of agenda, with nearly every speaker voicing opposition to the rezoning.

Keep Your Voice Down: By the grace of Betty White
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Keep Your Voice Down
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December 23, 2025

By the grace of Betty White, Doug and Alek return to their respective mics to look back at the year that was on Keep Your Voice Down. The duo also touch on Watershed Voice's year-end fundraising efforts, emphasizing the importance of community support and monthly recurring donations in sustaining local, independent news. The conversation concludes with discussion about supporting others, the value of listening more, and reconnecting with the outside world post pandemic.

Kalamazoo City Commission meeting dominated by public anger after unhoused man’s death
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Kalamazoo
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December 16, 2025

Residents also asked city officials for answers about a separate recent death involving a 60-year-old man found deceased near the intersection of Stockbridge Avenue and Mills Street. Chief Boysen said the death was ruled a suicide and that there was no evidence of foul play or involvement by other individuals. He said the man had a history of mental illness and other challenges.

Five Lakes Coffee co-founder faces three counts of criminal sexual conduct involving a child
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News
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December 5, 2025

Jared Smith, 49, faces two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a child younger than 13 and one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a child younger than 13, according to Calhoun County court records.

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