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In his first legislative update to Community Matters since the Michigan House of Representatives left for the holiday break, 44th District Rep. Jim Haadsma (D-Battle Creek) returns to discuss: The balance of power in the House after two Democrats’ campaigns for mayor in the Detroit area are successful. Michigan’s clean energy bills signed recently by Governor Gretchen …
Calhoun County (Michigan) Board of Commissioners Vice-Chair Steve Frisbie updates listeners on attempts to establish a transit authority – which met with success in September, 2023. But, not all municipalities in the county are on board. Frisbie also offered his view on the late-September announcement from Ford Motor Company that it would pause construction on …
Glenn Kowalske, spokesperson for the organization opposing construction of the BlueOval Battery Park Michigan plant in Marshall, returns to Community Matters. This is Kowalske’s first conversation with Community Matters after a judge ruled against the Committee for Marshall-Not the Megasite’s lawsuit targeting the zoning process for the plant. At the time of the interview, the …
Ford Motor Company’s plans for a lithium iron phosphate battery production facility in Marshall, Michigan seemingly remain on track. On September 15, 2023, Judge William Marietti sided with Ford in a decision over potential rezoning of the site. The case was brought by a citizens’ group, Committee for Marshall-Not the Megasite, a spokesman for which told Community …
First Aired August 19, 2023 Community Matters continues its coverage of the Marshall, Michigan-planned Ford BlueOval Battery Park Michigan plant. This time, Richard Piet is joined by attorney Robby Dube, a member of the legal team for the Committee for Marshall-Not the Megasite. Dube offers an update on a course of events that seemed headed for …
First Aired August 19, 2023 Just ahead of a big welcome-back event for Harper Creek Community Schools staff on August 16, 2023, Superintendent Rob Ridgeway joined Richard Piet on Community Matters. Superintendent Ridgeway talked about priorities for the new school year, growth in the district and what a potential BlueOval plant in Marshall could mean for its Harper …
First Aired August 12, 2023 Ford Motor Company’s intent to build a new battery plant in Marshall, Michigan presents an interesting opportunity: The chance to build a new manufacturing facility from the ground up. On this episode of Community Matters, we ask manufacturing consultant Mike Craig of the west-Michigan-based GKW Business Solutions to help us understand what innovations Ford might …
First Aired August 5, 2023 In an update on the Ford BlueOval Battery Park Michigan project, Jim Durian, CEO of the Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance (MAEDA) tells Community Matters the unbuilt plant is already attracting allied industies. Durian said a concrete mixing company, Shafer Redi-Mix, intends to buy a space at The Brooks industrial and research park – a move that …
