Marijuana consumption lounges will not be coming to a downtown Three Rivers storefront near you, at least not any time soon. The Three Rivers City Commission voted 4-2 against an amendment to the city’s marijuana ordinance Tuesday that would have allowed such an establishment in the central (B-3) business zoning district following a public hearing.

Much like a bar is an alcohol-consumption lounge where alcoholic drinks are consumed in a public space, marijuana consumption lounges are now popping up across the country with two establishments now open in Michigan. These lounges are designed to be a licensed and safe space for a group of people to consume marijuana, but aren’t without complications and challenges for the communities in which these establishments exist. We take a closer look as Three Rivers considers amending its marijuana ordinance to include such an establishment.

Michigan-based organization Disruptive Disciples Blacksmithing has traveled the state — including multiple stops in Three Rivers — to conduct demonstrations of how to transform disabled gun barrels into fully functional gardening tools. Blacksmith and Pastor Corey Simon, who also happens to be a gun owner and hunter, leads these demonstrations not to support efforts to take people’s guns or rights away, but rather to offer a space to imagine a world with less violence, and to mourn with those who have lost loved ones to gun violence.

The Huss Project (1008 8th St.) will be hosting their annual Back-to-School Celebration and community carnival on Saturday, August 12, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will include vendors from local community organizations, a musical storybook from The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (KSO), as well as free backpacks filled with school supplies for any school-aged child in need.