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WGVU News www.wgvunews.org - 88.5 and 95.3 FM WGVU 88.5 Grand Rapids & 95.3 Muskegon is NPR in West Michigan.

We strive to consistently reflect the highest standards of broadcast journalism with the network programs we present and through the stories covered by our local news team. WGVU is focused on education, the arts, and culture in our community. In addition to the NPR programming and local news coverage we offer, WGVU FM is also committed to preserving Jazz and Blues music on the radio. WGVU is listener funded and made possible by your generous support. You can make a financial contribution online at www.wgvu.org/support

10/14/2026

Former Detroit Lion Mike Utley's foundation expands adaptive sports at Mary Free Bed.

Former Detroit Lion and spinal cord injury advocate Mike Utley visited Mary Free Bed; his foundation has made its Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports program a destination for sports therapy and rehabilitation.

“We love the sports program. We love that people are challenging themselves to get out of their comfort zone.”

Former offensive lineman Mike Utley suffered a life-altering spinal cord injury playing for the Detroit Lions in 1991. Through rehabilitation, he now has complete use of his upper extremities.

“Life goes on, but you have to choose. You have to make a difference in your life.”

Since 2021, the Mike Utley Foundation has invested more than $52,000 providing adaptive sports equipment that help athletes of all ages participate in wheelchair rugby, basketball, cycling, and other parasports.

“The foundation will continue supporting outreach, which Mary Free Bed does here, is get out there and reach the communities.”

Director of Integrated Therapies and Adaptive Recreation Maria Besta says the foundation has had a huge impact on the program.

“We have athletes who come to us from all different socioeconomic backgrounds, and not everybody can afford a $5,000 chair, and so the foundation has enabled us to be able to get some of this equipment so that we can tell our athletes, ‘You can play.’”

Thanks to the foundation, Mary Free Bed has been able to purchase 14 pieces of specialized adaptive sports equipment.

https://www.wgvunews.org/news/2026-09-30/former-detroit-lion-mike-utleys-foundation-expands-adaptive-sports-at-mary-free-bed

Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, Mike Utley Foundation

The Rogers camp has been trying to build inroads after El-Sayed struggled in Detroit during his primary race
10/14/2026

The Rogers camp has been trying to build inroads after El-Sayed struggled in Detroit during his primary race

With an eye on the high cost of groceries and growing food insecurity, the Michigan Sustainable Business Forum is explor...
10/14/2026

With an eye on the high cost of groceries and growing food insecurity, the Michigan Sustainable Business Forum is exploring the role corporate sponsors play in strengthening the charitable food system

Pharmacists and state lawmakers met in Metro Detroit Monday to discuss the difficulties many independent drug store owne...
10/13/2026

Pharmacists and state lawmakers met in Metro Detroit Monday to discuss the difficulties many independent drug store owners are having staying open. Six shops closed last month in Michigan.

Voters in the Allendale Public Schools district will decide two bond proposals on the November ballot
10/13/2026

Voters in the Allendale Public Schools district will decide two bond proposals on the November ballot

10/12/2026

Kentwood unveils new $30 million community center.

It’s been a decade in the making; Kentwood’s new state-of-the-art community center is now open, providing fitness and family fun.

“What we do affects people’s lives, and I want to empower people to reach their full potential, and this space allows, especially in the next generation, to do just that.”

Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley says a new, centralized community center was at the top of residents’ “honey-do” list. After nearly ten years of work, the city’s new community center is finally a reality.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that things that take place in this building will put people on the right track if they’re on the wrong track, but it could open the doors for them to experience things that they would never experience before.”

The nearly 68,000-square-foot center features three basketball courts, a one-mile indoor walking track, snack bar, fitness center, multi-sport simulator, playground, rentable event space, child watch center, and other amenities.

“We have built this facility with our residents in mind, and I think what we’ve heard, we’ve implemented, and I’m excited for all my bosses to take a look at this new facility.”

Funding for the $30 million project came from a parks and recreation millage, general funds, and private donors.

The community is invited to an open house Saturday, September 26th, from 11 am to 7 pm.

https://www.wgvunews.org/news/2026-09-25/kentwood-unveils-new-30-million-community-center

City of Kentwood

Republicans have spent tens of millions of dollars to portray him as a dangerous radical, as El-Sayed responds by travel...
10/12/2026

Republicans have spent tens of millions of dollars to portray him as a dangerous radical, as El-Sayed responds by traveling across Michigan, meeting voters, and focusing on health care and the cost of living

The question before the court is whether the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act applies in the case of a Calvin University ...
10/11/2026

The question before the court is whether the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act applies in the case of a Calvin University professor whose contract wasn’t renewed after he officiated a same-sex wedding for a colleague

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is awarding a $1 million grant to a Grand Rapids redevel...
10/10/2026

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is awarding a $1 million grant to a Grand Rapids redevelopment project, the U.S. Senate debate grew heated at times, and more.

10/09/2026

Trio of artists explore human experience in the American criminal justice system.

Three new exhibitions at the Grand Rapids Art Museum explore creativity and craft emerging from the American criminal justice system.

Julie Green spent 22 years hand painting the last meals of death row inmates on nearly 1,000 ceramic plates. Her installation, The Last Supper, reveals intimate details behind their requests.

Rebirth showcases Gary Tyler’s art, developed over 40 years of wrongful incarceration during which he taught himself quilting in the African American tradition depicting family histories, Southern landscapes and reflections of freedom.

Ray Materson’s collection, Metamorphosis, offers the Michigan artist’s intricate embroidered miniatures created from unraveled socks in a technique he developed while serving a prison sentence.

“Art and creativity can help not only us as individuals, grapple with really difficult experiences and trauma, but can also help us as a community talk about these really difficult subjects.”

GRAM’s Curator of Collections and Exhibitions Jennifer Wcisel explains the common thread running through the works of the three artists.

“We've learned that one in three Americans has a criminal record. Fifty percent of us know someone who is incarcerated or has been incarcerated. And it's something that we often don't want to think about in our daily lives, but something that we should be aware of because it's happening to our friends and family and neighbors.”

The exhibitions are now open at the GRAM, with Green’s Last Supper running through October 24 and the others through January 3.

https://www.wgvunews.org/news/2026-10-06/trio-of-artists-explore-human-experience-in-the-american-criminal-justice-system

Grand Rapids Art Museum, The City of Grand Rapids

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