Government
City hall, county government and the state legislature
ARTICLES
Fight to prevent home foreclosure comes to GR
State agency joins forces with city’s religious and political communities.
The Michigan State Housing Development Authority launched a new partnership with the faith community in Grand Rapids last week to prevent home foreclosures.
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Grand Rapids reviving policy on tax-foreclosed properties
The new version is expected to bring county land bank into the picture.
The city of Grand Rapids is rewriting its policy of how to handle tax-foreclosed properties, which are usually residences.
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Key Uptown BID vote is underway
Property owners will decide fate of business improvement district.
Voting begins this week to determine whether property owners on the southeast side of Grand Rapids want to establish the Uptown Business Improvement District, pay a special property assessment and enact the district’s marketing and development plan.
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Pavement inspection keeps improving
What once cost Metro Council communities more than $230 per mile is now about $40.
(Watch for this story Monday morning on WZZM TV 13) The peculiar-looking pavement condition data collection van working the streets in the member communities of the Grand Valley Metro Council isn’t new, but it keeps improving with advances in software and optical equipment.
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Grand Rapids unemployment rate inches down to 5.9 percent
LANSING — Michigan says that the seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate is down 0.6 percentage points statewide and in most major labor markets.
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Ford airport moves step closer to $9.6M Concourse B expansion
Construction upgrades to the Gerald R. Ford International Airport’s Concourse B are moving closer to a start date.
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Commission suggests 3-percent raise for Michigan judges
A commission has recommended that Michigan judges get a 3 percent pay increase.
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Grand Rapids Home for Veterans wants your vote for $250K prize
A quarter of a million dollars is on the line for Grand Rapids — and no, we’re not talking about lottery winnings.
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Michigan law requires one prior-authorization form for meds
A new Michigan law calls for the creation of a universal form that doctors can use when patients need prior authorization for coverage of prescription drugs.
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GR building permit volume soars in April
Figure may indicate commercial construction and local economy have rebounded.
The monetary value of the building permits that were applied for and granted just in Grand Rapids, and only in April, totaled a nearly unbelievable $77 million — a figure that breaks out to a daily average of $3.5 million for each of the month’s 22 business days.
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