Many school districts – unlike decades of the past – have returned teachers and students to the classroom before Labor Day. Among them, Battle Creek's Pennfield Schools. Superintendent Stephanie Lemmer joins Community Matters grateful for school...
Community Matters welcomes back Jessica Gilbert from the Humane Society of South Central Michigan for a Wiggly Tail update. This time, we highlight Scout, a terrier mix ready to find his family. If you're looking for a low-key, loving dog, he may be the one! We...
Know someone who has consistently shown community service toward older adults in Calhoun County? Perhaps they are a professional – or a volunteer. Calhoun County Senior Services encourages you to nominate them for the Joanne Konkle Leadership Award. Accepting...
They are calling it ”Friday Night De'Lights” – a spin on Friday night high school football season – with drinkable treats. Matt Lemmer, a Battle Creek-area Biggby Coffee franchisee, joins Community Matters to talk about the enticements he...
Jim Haadsma was defeated in the November, 2024 election by a narrow margin. Now, after some reflection, the Battle Creek Democrat has decided he wants another shot at representing the Cereal City in the Michigan House of Representatives 44th District. Republican Rep....
Back in 2023, Starr Commonwealth President and CEO Elizabeth Carey told Community Matters about a groundbreaking idea for a new program: Target young ”opportunity youth” who have had a ”failure to launch” – a lack of momentum toward their...
Calhoun County still remains in the top-five Michigan counties with significant rates of domestic violence – sometimes called intimate partner violence. That's the word from Ellen Lassiter Collier, executive director of Battle Creek's SAFE Place, a...
The search for Battle Creek's next city manager reached a point previously where finalists for the job were set to meet with the public. Then, after one of the candidates withdrew, the city stopped the process temporarily. That was back in April 2025; now, a new...
Kalamazoo Democrat Sean McCann – term limited in the Michigan House of Representatives – wants to unseat Republican U.S. Representative Bill Huizenga of Holland. Huizenga represents Michigan's 4th Congressional House District in Washington, a district...
Battle Creek's Cereal City Concert Band, fresh back from performances in Prague, Czech Republic and Schladming, Austria in summer 2025, announced a new conductor: Dr. Doris Doyan. Doyan joins Community Matters for this community introduction, along with longtime...
