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Richard Piet Show

(Community Matters 57) MDOT Road Construction in Calhoun County is Wrapping Up (For Now)

After significant roadwork in 2023, the Michigan Department of Transportation is wrapping up its Calhoun County projects for the winter. MDOT spokesperson Nick Schirripa returns to Community Matters to update listeners on the projects that included repair or replacement for more than a dozen bridges along I-94 in Calhoun County. Episode ResourcesMi-Drive construction interactive mapMDOT construction info – …

Listen Now(Community Matters 57) MDOT Road Construction in Calhoun County is Wrapping Up (For Now)

(Community Matters 55) Lightner Reflects on Juvenile Justice Reform Bills, More

In her October legislative update on Community Matters, Rep. Sarah Lightner (R-Springport) reflects on juvenile justice reform bills moving through the Michigan House and Senate. The package comes after the governor-appointed Juvenile Justice Task Force completed its work earlier in 2023. Lightner also discusses her view on a package of bills meant to increase solar power …

Listen Now(Community Matters 55) Lightner Reflects on Juvenile Justice Reform Bills, More

(Community Matters 55) Certain Donors Offered Chance to Name Prairie Dogs at Binder Park Zoo

Moving prairie dogs from one zoo to another – and into a new habitat – means you might not see them much in the beginning. That’s because they are busy underground setting up their new digs. But they’re there. That’s the word from Allie Stoddard of the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, Michigan. The …

Listen Now(Community Matters 55) Certain Donors Offered Chance to Name Prairie Dogs at Binder Park Zoo

(Community Matters 54) Calhoun County Update: Property Taxes, Roadwork in 2024

Calhoun County Board of Commissioners Vice-Chair Steve Frisbie returns to Community Matters with updates on the October 2023. Frisbie elaborates on the annual property tax apportionment report approved by commissioners in October 2023, including an overall county tax increase related to the 9-1-1 millage. He also discusses the process by which local municipalities begin estimating …

Listen Now(Community Matters 54) Calhoun County Update: Property Taxes, Roadwork in 2024

(Community Matters 52) ‘Unique Strategies and Tactics’ Required to Fight EV Battery Fires

Firefighter and fire safety educator Michael McLeieer visits with Community Matters to discuss fire and environmental concerns related to electric vehicle battery fires. McLeieer, who heads the organization ESCAPE (Education Showing Children and Adults Procedures for Evacuations), talks about how firefighters approach an EV fire, either in a vehicle or in a large manufacturing facility, …

Listen Now(Community Matters 52) ‘Unique Strategies and Tactics’ Required to Fight EV Battery Fires

(Community Matters 51) County Board Update: BlueOval Pause; Transit Authority OK’d

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 …

Listen Now(Community Matters 51) County Board Update: BlueOval Pause; Transit Authority OK’d

(Community Matters 51) Could Ford Really Bail on Marshall Battery Plant?

Two-episode special Ford Motor Company’s plans for the Megasite in Marshall Township, Michigan back in February, 2023 were clear: Ford will build a lithium ion phosphate battery plant on the site and bring 2500 new jobs to the area. The site has been readying for construction in earnest, even while a grassroots lawsuit attempted to …

Listen Now(Community Matters 51) Could Ford Really Bail on Marshall Battery Plant?

(Community Matters 50) Marshall Committee: ‘This Isn’t The End’ for BlueOval Suit

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 …

Listen Now(Community Matters 50) Marshall Committee: ‘This Isn’t The End’ for BlueOval Suit