Recipients of Park Place Provisionary’s $10,000 Covid-19 recovery grants gather at the marijuana shop on Friday, June 19. Having been in business since 1982, Josie Mosqueda’s Muskegon shop, Sew What, has known its fair share of ups and downs. But, when Covid-19 hit and businesses across Michigan had to shut down for months as part of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the challenges facing Sew What were something Mosqueda could have never imagined—all of a sudden, her entire revenue stream during what is typically her busiest time of the year vanished. In ad ..read more

Muskegon County’s Michael E. Kobza Hall of Justice will reopen on Monday, June 22. Beginning Monday, June 22 at 10am, Muskegon County residents will once again be able to head to the Hall of Justice at 990 Terrace St. for a variety of non-court services, including divorce filings; birth, death and marriage records; business registrations; and more. The Michael E. Kobza Hall of Justice has been closed since March 16 because of the Covid-19 pandemic; its Monday reopening is being done in compliance with Muskegon County’s plan to incrementally restore services and facilities that were unavailable ..read more

Protesters march at Hackley Park in downtown Muskegon on Friday. Photo by Anna Gustafson Raising a fist towards a cloudless sky, Charlotte Johnson looks out at the crowd gathered for a Juneteenth protest in downtown Muskegon’s Hackley Park Friday afternoon: Change, she tells the group erupting into cheers, is here. “Keep marching; keep protesting,” Johnson, a longtime civic leader and community activist from Muskegon, says as people lift their own fists in solidarity. “Keep registering voters; keep yelling, ‘no justice, no peace,’ ‘Black lives matter,’ ‘say her name: Breonna Taylor, and ‘say h ..read more

A crowd gathers in downtown Muskegon for a protest against police brutality and systemic racism last week. The KKK sign is in reference to a now-former Muskegon police officer who had KKK memorabilia in his home. Photo by Anna Gustafson As cities across the country look to divert funding from police to social programs in the wake of worldwide protests against systemic racism and police brutality, Muskegon residents this week urged local elected officials to reallocate a portion of the city’s proposed $10.76 million police budget for initiatives centered around affordable housing, youth, health ..read more

Wendy Trach. Courtesy photo This op-ed is by Wendy Trach, who was born and raised in Norton Shores and has been a registered nurse at Mercy Health Muskegon for more than 40 years. She is the Chief RN Steward for SEIU. Although more than 5,000 Michiganders have tragically lost their lives to the coronavirus, there are tentative new signs of hope. Here in West Michigan, where I live and work, after we saw a recent alarming increase in COVID patients, new cases now seem to be declining. But we are certainly not out of the woods yet, and there’s a real possibility that we will see spikes in cases ..read more

Restaurants, bars, retail shops, libraries, museums, and more in Muskegon, and throughout the state, will be able to reopen in a matter of days, Gov. Whitmer announced June 1. Photo by Anna Gustafson Following about two and a half months of being shut down to curb the spread of Covid-19, retail stores, restaurants, bars, and more will begin reopening in a matter of days, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Monday afternoon. Under the governor’s new executive order, retailers will be able to welcome customers back on June 4; restaurants and bars can reopen for in-person dining and drinking on June ..read more

Marchers gather in downtown Muskegon Sunday afternoon. Photo by Anna Gustafson Erin Yarbrough wants to know her five sons will be safe. She wants to know they will grow up. That they will lead the lives she dreams for them, ones overflowing with aspiration and joy and success. And no fear.  But, right now, she is afraid. In a country where Black men are 2.5 times more likely than white men to die during encounters with the police, in a country where George Floyd died last week after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck as Floyd repeatedly said, “ I can’t breathe,” Yarbrough is ..read more

Four residents of Seminole Shores Assisted Living Center in Norton Shores have died from Covid-19, Muskegon County health officials said Wednesday. Photo by Anna Gustafson Five residents at two assisted living centers in Norton Shores have died from Covid-19, Muskegon County health officials reported Wednesday, April 22.  The deaths include four individuals from Seminole Shores Assisted Living Center and one person from DaySpring Assisted Living, Public Health—Muskegon County (PHMC) reported. Health officials did not provide further information about the individuals and did not specify wh ..read more

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in Muskegon last year. Photo by Anna Gustafson The state attorney general’s office announced it is investigating the Muskegon-based EM General for allegedly ripping off customers who paid for face masks, including the highly coveted N95 masks that healthcare workers need, but never received the products. The company, which has a registered address of 1240 Amity Ave., is “likely in violation” of the Michigan Consumer Protection Act for reportedly price-gouging, misleading customers about its products, advertising goods or services without the intent to prov ..read more

The faces that fill the screen are from Muskegon schools, sports teams and restaurants. Nonprofits, religious groups, and arts organizations. They are veterans and health leaders, mayors and business owners. And, in unison, they say: “Stay home. Stay safe. And save lives.” More than 100 organizations, businesses, nonprofits, schools, and local governments are banding together to fight the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak in Muskegon County, and this week they launched a local version of the state’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe, Save Lives” campaign. For one of its first matters of business, the group publi ..read more