SMART Recovery Event

On Jan. 23, GVSU Drug and Other Alcohol Services is hosting an event called SMART Recovery. 

SMART stands for Self-Management And Recovery Training. This program combines science and self-empowerment to help people overcome various kinds of addictive behaviors. 

SMART Recovery will take place in the Grand Valley Apartments (GVA) parking lot from 7-8 p.m. The event is free and open to all members of the GVSU community. 

Kum & Go opens first store in West Michigan 

Kum & Go convenience store recently opened a new location in Walker, MI. 

This is the first store of many other locations set to open, with openings in Wyoming and Grandville planned within the next couple of months. A Detroit location is planned for 2024. 

“The more we’ve learned about Michigan, the more excited we are to invest here,” said Tanner Krause, Kum & Go Chief Executive Officer, in an interview with Fox17. “We look forward to connecting with this community for years to come.”

The new location is searching for part-time and full-time employees. The pay for store associate positions starts at $15 an hour and food associate positions at $16.25. Full-time positions offer benefits packages and set hours. 

Toll roads could financially benefit MI

New research suggests that by implementing toll roads in Michigan, the state could raise $1 billion dollars per year. 

Tolling feasibility and implementation studies done for the state analyzed all 31 highways in Michigan and found that 14 could become toll roads spanning 1,200 miles of state highways. This would include large portions of the interstates 75, 94 and 96. 

This change could have long-term benefits, such as funding for road repair, however, it would be a process to put the idea into practice. 

Implementing tolls would require approvals from Governor Whitmer and the state Legislature which would be a time-consuming process estimating that the launch would happen in 2028. Expansion of the tolling program would take place over the course of a decade.   

Tolling would help to fill the gaps of traditional ways to fund roads which will not be as prominent with the rise of electric vehicles such as the federal fuel tax.