In the past five years the Grand Rapids Police Department has drawn scrutiny, sometimes nationally, for instances when officers have drawn guns on people of color. Those encounters ranged from police officers holding five Black youth at gunpoint while walking home after playing basketball to a Black man being forcibly arrested at gunpoint after a witness identified the wrong vehicle to police. The incidents since 2017 led to calls for change from different groups to improve police-community relations in Grand Rapids. The city hired consultants and instituted plans for change over the last five years. Over the past two years, activists have lobbied city leaders saying they need to do more to prevent police violence. READ MORE
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Thursday that nearly a third of eligible Michiganders have already received their $400 auto refund checks from the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association catastrophic fund surplus. According to data gathered by the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services, more than $906 million of the total $3 billion in surplus funds has been distributed. Auto insurers have until May 9 to deliver the remaining $2.1 billion via mailed checks or direct deposit to eligible drivers. READ MORE
The latest episode of our popular Michigan Crime Stories podcast focuses on an Election Day altercation between two elected officials in Bay County. MLive's Justin Engel and Jessica Shepherd discussed what happened between two county commissioners during the morning of Nov. 6, 2012, on a church lawn in Bay City. The story involves Twinkies, a polling location and what could have been a pair of slaps or punches, depending on who you ask. LISTEN HERE
Cabin fever in 2020 paid off for homeowners who renovated their space during lockdown. A Harvard University study estimated Americans spent $420 billion in 2020 on remodeling their homes. The National Association of Realtors released its 2022 Remodeling Impact report breaking down data on who remodeled what and for how much. Survey results measured how satisfied consumers were with projects, the cost of the projects and the resale value. We have a look at the projects that provided the most bang for your buck: READ MORE
In a quest to always provide answers to your weather-related questions, MLive Chief Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa is at it again: "You may have walked out your door yesterday morning and stopped in your tracks. The big whiff of air just brought one thing to your mind -- spring. What is that spring smell all about? The spring smell also depends on how deep we are into spring. There are several smells of spring. We get the ‘smells like rain’ feeling, and then it rains. During the rain we are actually smelling ozone." And that's just one of the factors that contributes to the signature spring smell. READ MORE
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